BFF

I Love Running Races

I love the excitement of a race. I love that I get nervous every time no matter what the distance. I love the anticipation and chatter at the start line. I love the mind games I play as I am running: "Am I starting out too fast? Too slow? Can I even finish this thing? What lies ahead in the course? Can I catch that person in front of me? How many people are behind me? I feel great! Oh, I feel awful!" And on and on. I love seeing new sights. I love the running community. There are all sorts of people, all shapes, all sizes, all ages, all speeds. And you can never peg anyone from the outset based on shapes sizes or ages as to what speed they will be. I love that it is a community and you feel a part of something, but also that running is such an individual sport. I can certainly race against others, but mostly I race against myself. It is not about beating the competition, but finding out what I can do and if I can beat my last time or just challenge my body in a new way.

Now, with all of that said, I actually ran the worst 5K of my running career yesterday :) Just if you look at my time, 31:19, which put me at a 10:05/mile pace. I finished 245 out of 333, and 12th out of 24 in my age division. Overall, I am quite proud of myself and I am looking at this as the start of my post-baby running career. This is my baseline to start my future personal records. I realized that I need to train a little more seriously and I really need to start adding some sit-ups and core training into my routine. My core is weak and I blame Finnbar! I also need to start running hills after yesterday's course, whew! The first half was actually an easy downhill, but as we were running I heard all sorts of people who had run the course before, talking about "THE HILL" and asking their friends if they were ready for "THE HILL." I should have known it couldn't be good. As I heard one woman talking about it, I said, "Hey, I am starting to get nervous as I have never run this course before." She replied, "Oh, just don't look up!" Agh, I knew I was in trouble. It was every bit as bad as described. It kept going up and up. It was also dirt and a little on the muddy side. In the end I walked it. I seriously could not breathe enough to run up it. Alas, it felt good to get to the top and finish the race!

So, we had a great group running: Sean's brother, Jon S., and brother-in-law, Jon W. and sister, Carrie and Sean and me:

All the kids came to cheer us on: Liam and Annalise and Libby and Finnbar (Aunt Kate and Nana stayed with them during the race).

Ah, yes, I am feeling quite strong before we run:


Proud Dads after the race:


"Seriously, what did you think of THE HILL?":


After the race there were lovely snacks (particularly some macaroons) and we are already talking about the next one we are going to attempt, probably at the end of April. Let the running season begin!

Oh Bats!

So last night Sean came home and I went for a run (my last before the race this Saturday and I felt awful! Not boding well.). When I came back, Finn was not in the best mood. He tends to be more fussy in the evenings and he has taken to being upset when I leave. Poor Sean was trying to comfort him while I took the speediest of showers. Well just as I was getting out of the shower, Sean tells me the bats are back. I don't recall if I posted about the bat we had flying around the apartment when we first moved in. At the time it seemed like a fluke. Well, I guess we have more living in the space where the chimney goes through the house and the house has settled creating an area for bats. They must be coming out of hibernation because we had another friend flying around the apartment last night. In the abstract, I love bats. I think they are very cool. I even trapped and handled them in Arizona a long time ago. But when they are flying around your head in the house, they give me the heebie jeebies. I tell myself that they have excellent sonar and won't hit me, but I can't help but envision it caught in my hair as I run around shrieking. So, the scene last night is I am in the bathroom in my robe dripping from the shower and Lily, in all her bravery, has come in and is hiding behind me. Sean hands me Finn and he and Lily and I go hide in the living room with the door shut while Sean valiantly collects the bat and gets it outside. Poor little guy. It seems early to be coming out of hibernation. I hope he is warm enough. I also wonder how many more are living in the chimney. I really don't want any to come calling when Sean is at work. I don't know what I would do. I suppose I could handle it if I had to, but I would rather not have to.

So, Finn went to sleep after bedtime routine last night and slept for a 3 hour stretch. He hadn't coughed in awhile and I was thinking he must be feeling better. He woke up a ton last night, but that is pretty much par for the course. Well this morning he had a prolonged coughing fit and had a ton of drainage from his nose and throat. Still no fever, but he must be fighting a bit of something. I hope it clears up soon. It is awful not knowing how to help him when he is coughing and he HATES it when I try to wipe his nose. He likes to wipe it himself on our shoulders. Eew!

First Cold?

Sean and I can't tell if Finn is in the midst of his first cold or not. He has been having coughing fits, but I can't tell if he is just getting irritated from all the extra drool he is producing. Sometimes he seems to have a little coming from his nose, but sometimes not. He absolutely refused to go to sleep after bedtime routine last night. He woke up coughing and crying a couple of times and would not go down even though he was so tired. I resorted to nursing him in bed and falling asleep with him. He doesn't have a fever and in general seems in good spirits, if not getting tired more quickly. I just don't know what we are dealing with.

Wedding Fun

We made it to Philly and back! It was a really good trip. It was tough being such a long drive and such a quick turn around, but still really good. We left at 5:30 am on Saturday morning. Finn fell asleep and we were able to drive for 3 hours straight before he woke up hungry and ready for a stretch (the longest stretch of sleep he has gotten in a while). After that, I sat in back with him and we were able to read books and play with toys to keep him occupied. I had to sing to him a lot to keep him smiling. He loves ' itsy bitsy spider.' He also took a couple cat naps and didn't get too fussy until the end. We stopped three times after that first stretch and I think that is the key to road tripping with a little one, just lots of stops and stretching.


We made it to the hotel around 2:30 and we were able to lounge a bit before getting ready for the wedding.

The ceremony was outside. It was beautiful, but maybe a little ambitious for the first day of spring. We stayed bundled up.
The reception was really nice and Finn was a big hit. People love babies. I had no idea. I mean I have heard people say they love babies, but they really mean it. Everyone came up to ohh and ahh over him. And if people love babies, they REALLY love babies with red hair and must touch it. Too funny. I can't really blame them with this little guy:

Party animal:
Both looking very dapper:
Finn was really busy the whole time:
We made it through dinner before Finn just got over tired. He kept trying to fall asleep, but then would startle at all the noises of the party. In the end, he and I headed back to the hotel and Sean stayed to visit with his friends.
We went to a brunch at the bride's parents place on Sunday morning and then made the drive back. The drive back was a little tougher as we were all tired and more anxious to get home, but we still did pretty well.

Tasty Toes and more

Finn has been trying for awhile, but just this week he has finally been able to taste his toes, aaanndd...they are fabulous!


We have had a wonderfully eventful week. We were very excited to receive a visit from Finn's Aunt Kate and cousin Annalise. Annalise is 8 months old and was happy to show Finn that tummy time is no biggie.

He was enthralled with her:
Goodness, his hair is really out of control:

I am afraid to report that we are still exhausted:
I read bits and pieces of The No-Cry Sleep Solution and I had been waiting to implement the techniques until I spoke with our pediatrician with some of the questions I had. Well, that didn't go the way I had expected so I didn't get mt questions answered. And now, we just need to figure things out for ourselves.

So, we must be a bit insane, but this weekend we are going to Philly. One of Sean's groomsmen is getting married so we are packing up and driving down to celebrate. This means we have a 6 hour drive with Finn. We are going to leave early tomorrow and leave lots of time for plenty of stops. I hope Finn will sleep a good deal of the way and I can always sit in the back with toys and books to help entertain him. I am also going to bring along our sleep books so Sean and I can seriously come up with a plan (no more procrastination)! I suspect we will have quite the story upon our return.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Finn has his green on to avoid being pinched! Check out the "Kiss me I am Irish" socks!


Ohh, don't you love that fluffy butt?!?

He definitely has the luck o' the Irish!

We have a busy day of hunting Leprechauns ahead of us! Hope you have a good one!

An Anniversary of Sorts

It is one year to the date that Sean and I discovered we were expecting a baby! Amazing the difference a year can make. I remember vividly the entire weekend. We had no reason to think I would be pregnant as I had been told by my OB that I wasn't ovulating. I had been seeing her off and on and my period hadn't come so I figured I was going to have to call her to figure out what was wrong. I was feeling quite angry at my body and not looking forward to going back to the doctor. It was a Saturday and I figured I would call and set something up on Monday. I had gone into school to get some work done and I am still not sure what made me do it, but on the way home I decided to pick up a home pregnancy test. I think I figured we would have to rule that out to get to the bottom of what was going on, but I was certain it would be negative. I got home and Sean had gone to the store and he was so excited to have found a really good deal on a nice bottle of wine and a very good bottle of champagne. I LOVE champagne and we were making cheese fondue that night for dinner. I said great, I am going to take this test so we can rule that out before I call the doctor, whatever, no big deal. I went and tested and the instructions said to wait 2 minutes for the result. I remember I was staring at the word "pregnant" within 30 seconds. It was one of those digital tests that it will either read "pregnant" or "not pregnant." I sat for the remaining minute and a half waiting to see if the "not" was going to pop up after the fact. When it didn't, I went to the kitchen where Sean was doing dishes and said, "Sean, please stop doing the dishes and look at this." We both must have looked like deer in headlights, although I still remember the warm feeling of surprise and excitement spreading through me. Of course, next thing you know, we are on Google looking up false positive rates for home pregnancy tests (<3%). We seriously couldn't believe it, but I didn't drink any champagne that night (or for another many months! we actually saved that bottle until after Finn's birth).

The next day, we were scheduled to take a ride in the Goodyear blimp (foreshadowing of pregnancy!). It is actually about as rare as a false positive HPT to get a ride in the blimp. It is a symbol in Akron as Goodyear houses 3 of their blimps there. They do not sell tickets, but only give them to charities. I actually won 2 in a raffle at the Akron marathon. It is really a phenomenal experience. It really is simply a balloon and as it comes in for a landing, the ground crew runs up to grab lines coming off it to slow it down as passengers are loaded and unloaded:


This is where the house the blimps. A view as we took off. The pitch of take off and landing is really steep:

We had to wear headphones to block the engine noise and speak to each other. The blimp gondola only houses the pilot and 6 passengers. We had a blast. The whole time in the back of my head, I kept thinking, "Oh my gosh, I am pregnant! I can't believe it, I am pregnant! Wow, the view is beautiful, and I am pregnant!"

Sean remained very serious:

Yes, there are three people in this picture:

It is so fun to remember how giddy we were that weekend and to look at the beautiful son we have now!

Hmmm...

In some of my research today, I ran across this article:

A Case Against Breastfeeding

What are your thoughts breast feeders? I could go on and on....

Edit: This lady was featured on the Today show 3/16/09. I didn't see it.

Seeking New Pediatrician

Finn had his 4 month check up and vaccines yesterday. He did a little better with the shots than at his 2 month, but it still wasn't fun at all. He weighed in at 16 lbs 4 oz. and 26 7/8 inches tall. A little more than a week ago, but it is hard to say if it is just due to a difference in scales. He is still hanging in the 95th percentile for height and 75th percentile for weight. His head circumference is 16 1/4 inches which puts him in the 25th percentile. So, we have a boy with very big body and wee head :) The doc said it is just due to genetics. Overall, he was deemed healthy. She was happy he was rolling now. She wasn't concerned that he isn't pushing up onto his hands yet saying that this is a milestone coming later due to the "back is best" sleep policy.

So, up to this point, I have been fairly indifferent towards our pediatrician, we will call Dr. O. She is the one who was on call at Finn's birth and thus we just went with her because we didn't know anyone we specifically wanted to go with. We are with the Dartmouth-Hitchcock clinic and I was very pleased with them for my OB/midwife care. Well, I had a few things in early appointments that bugged me about Dr. O, but I chalked a lot of it up to my stress levels due to new parenthood. Well, this past visit solidified it for me that we are just not a good doc/patient combo and we definitely need to seek out someone else with whom I can better communicate and who will have a similar philosophy in terms of raising healthy children.

A few of my complaints:

• At our 2 week appointment when I was having breastfeeding trouble, she was very quick to suggest switching to formula. My issue with this is that the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) states breast milk is the best for baby. As does the World Health Organization (WHO) and countless research studies. If we don't have a community of doctors to support mothers in feeding their children breast milk, than how are we to increase the very low breastfeeding rates in this country? And, as a pediatrician, should you not at least qualify your recommendations with the latest research so that your patients can be well informed?
• Here is what the AAP says on the matter:

• To provide an optimal environment for breastfeeding, pediatricians should follow these recommendations:

• Promote and support breastfeeding enthusiastically. In consideration of the extensive published evidence for improved outcomes in breastfed infants and their mothers, a strong position on behalf of breastfeeding is justified.
• Become knowledgeable and skilled in both the physiology and the clinical management of breastfeeding.
• Work collaboratively with the obstetric community to ensure that women receive adequate information throughout the perinatal period to make a fully informed decision about infant feeding. Pediatricians should also use opportunities to provide age-appropriate breastfeeding education to children and adults.
• Promote hospital policies and procedures that facilitate breastfeeding. Electric breast pumps and private lactation areas should be available to all breastfeeding mothers in the hospital, both on ambulatory and inpatient services. Pediatricians are encouraged to work actively toward eliminating hospital practices that discourage breastfeeding (eg, infant formula discharge packs and separation of mother and infant).
• Become familiar with local breastfeeding resources (eg, Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children clinics, lactation educators and consultants, lay support groups, and breast pump rental stations) so that patients can be referred appropriately.¹¹¹ When specialized breastfeeding services are used, pediatricians need to clarify for patients their essential role as the infant's primary medical care taker. Effective communication among the various counselors who advise breastfeeding women is essential.
• Encourage routine insurance coverage for necessary breastfeeding services and supplies, including breast pump rental and the time required by pediatricians and other licensed health care professionals to assess and manage breastfeeding.
• Promote breastfeeding as a normal part of daily life, and encourage family and societal support for breastfeeding.
• Develop and maintain effective communications and collaboration with other health care providers to ensure optimal breastfeeding education, support, and counsel for mother and infant.
• Advise mothers to return to their physician for a thorough breast examination when breastfeeding is terminated.
• Promote breastfeeding education as a routine component of medical school and residency education.
• Encourage the media to portray breastfeeding as positive and the norm.
• Encourage employers to provide appropriate facilities and adequate time in the workplace for breast-pumping.
• At this 4 month appointment, she didn't even bother to consult Finn's chart before entering the room and didn't know how old he was. This caused confusion in that she was suggesting things meant for a 6 month old baby before she realized that Finn was younger. Further, she didn't remember several key points of our last visit. Now, I know doctors are very busy and by no means should remember every patient, but she could easily put in a personal note in the chart to remind herself as to what occurs at each appointment and be prepared before spouting things off to the patient.
• She made me feel like an idiot and bad mom for not having Finn on a feeding schedule. I have read that babies should be fed on demand. Now, of course it would be easier for me to have him on a schedule, but I want to do what is best for him. However, when I asked about it, she didn't want to discuss it, but simply shrugged and said I could do what I wanted.
• At this 4 month appointment, she was adamant that Finn should be given rice cereal ASAP. "You know, the Gerber stuff" She felt it was imperative that he receive the iron in this fortified stuff. I wasn't prepared for this at all having always read and heard that you should wait until six months to introduce solids when babies' digestive tracts are most likely to be fully developed. I recognize that all babies develop at different rates and by no means is 6 months some magic point where it is okay to give solids and not one day before. The real issue I had with Dr. O, was her disinterest in fully discussing the matter intelligently with me. I asked about current research and she couldn't give me any references that address the issue. She just told me Finn would be iron deficient in a year. She gave me some generic crappy handout on introducing solids. She told me the AAP is a good resource (which it is..too bad she doesn't read it). Here is what they say on the issue:
• Exclusive breastfeeding is ideal nutrition and sufficient to support optimal growth and development for approximately the first 6 months after birth.¹⁰⁰ Infants weaned before 12 months of age should not receive cow's milk feedings but should receive iron-fortified infant formula.¹⁰¹ Gradual introduction of iron-enriched solid foods in the second half of the first year should complement the breast milk diet.^102,103 It is recommended that breastfeeding continue for at least 12 months, and thereafter for as long as mutually desired.¹⁰⁴
• In the first 6 months, water, juice, and other foods are generally unnecessary for breastfed infants.^105,106 Vitamin D and iron may need to be given before 6 months of age in selected groups of infants (vitamin D for infants whose mothers are vitamin D-deficient or those infants not exposed to adequate sunlight; iron for those who have low iron stores or anemia).^107-109 Fluoride should not be administered to infants during the first 6 months after birth, whether they are breast- or formula-fed. During the period from 6 months to 3 years of age, breastfed infants (and formula-fed infants) require fluoride supplementation only if the water supply is severely deficient in fluoride (<0.3>110
• Further, the WHO states that in cases where iron deficiency is of concern (such as in low birth weight infants or where mothers were identified as being iron deficient) then medicinal drop supplement should be given as they are more likely to be effective than complementary food. They cite a study from Dewey in 2001. Note, I haven't sought out this article yet, but it does make sense to me in that if a child is not ready for solids and thus not intaking much when feeding cereal, then how can they be getting the iron?
  
• Now, if you remember, I was diagnosed as slightly anemic during pregnancy in Ohio. When I got to NH, they were not concerned. I did increase iron-containing foods in my diet and I continue to take my pre-natal vitamins. I do not know if this puts Finn in the category of needing supplements. I do feel that Dr. O should have presented this info instead of me having to research it after the fact to try to determine what is best for my son. I do have a call into the office to try to get to the bottom of this.
• I had brought with me to the appointment a list of questions I had. At one point she hurried me through something and said, "What else do you have? It is getting late!" I get that doctors are busy, but, seriously?
  

Okay, so a lot of this is a stream of consciousness vent. I think a lot of my problems with Dr. O are personality. I don't think she is trying to give me misinformation, but I seriously question some of what she said. My main problem is that when I asked what I felt were reasonable questions, she wasn't willing to discuss it intelligently and back up her position. I know she went to medical school and I didn't, but doesn't that mean her job is to properly address her patients concerns and accurately inform them with the most current research?

So, now my mind has been spinning on whether we should be giving Finn iron supplements or introducing cereal or neither. I don't want to medicate him when not needed. I don't want to rush him into solids if he is not developmentally ready. I also don't want to deny him proper nutrition. I don't want my son's first meal to be some nutritionally void cereal crap (you know, that gerber stuff) that has to be fortified to be nutritious. But I also don't want to be one of those overly crunchy moms who endangers their child (like those people who don't vaccinate).

I feel like I have only scratched the surface in research, but how do parents have the time to thoroughly research every decision they need to make for their child? Am I just insane? Quite possibly. I wish I had some of that mom intuition everyone talks about.

I hope the clinic calls me back soon and I can feel better about whatever decision we make. No matter what though we are seeking a pediatrician we can be happier with. I am unsure as to whether to switch to someone else in the D-H clinic or to go searching outside. I think I am leaning to the former. Sean and I were looking online last night at the various doctors. I wish doctors had to write a mission statement regarding their care philosophy. All we have to go on are pictures and a history of schooling and residency programs.

Some Tuesday Cuteness

Finn and Lily and I were on our own today as Sean was in NY. He come back tomorrow so it isn't bad at all.

Finnbar is often annoyed with tummy time, but we keep trying and every once in awhile he surprises me and has a good time. Today, he spent a long while playing on his tummy.


He had plenty to say to Lily:




I don't know why, he decided to blow a razzberry to her!

He is getting more consistent on rolling over back to belly, but often he just rolls up onto his side.

A Great Weekend

We had such a nice weekend. It actually seems like every weekend since Finn was born we have had something going on. While it is great to be busy, it was so nice to take this weekend off and relax. We immediately got the apartment cleaned Saturday morning so we didn't have to worry about it. Then we took Finn and Lily out for a nice long walk. It was GORGEOUS this weekend, getting up to 60 degrees. The snow melted from the sidewalks so we could take the stroller everywhere. We then took a drive up north to check out the mountains while Finn took a good long nap in his car seat. Then we went to the grocery store and got stocked up for the week. I went running on Saturday afternoon and I felt so good. With the beautiful weather and clear sidewalks, I actually shaved 3 minutes off my 3 mile loop. I finally felt good running for the first time since getting back into training, which I hope means I am getting back into shape. I hope I feel that good on race day.

Sunday was another beautiful day. We got up and went to church. Here is Sean and Finn getting ready. Sean was carrying Finn and he just passed out:

Finn made it through the whole service and then we picked up Lily and went for another long walk. We spent the afternoon rolling a huge batch of tamales. YUMM! Last night for bedtime routine, we decided to try Finn out in the big tub. I read several mom internet boards and a lot of the women talk about co-bathing with their loved one. Finn doesn't mind the bath, but he doesn't love it so we thought we would give this a try. I got in the bath and then Sean handed Finn to me. He actually seemed to like it. We put a few rubber ducks in the water and he was really trying to grab them. He was very serious about it though. He did tolerate the bath a lot longer than the small tub, but it remains to be seen when he will thing bath time is fun. I thought it was fun. We dealt with the time change really well. Finn was in bed, just an hour after is "normal" bedtime and he slept a 4 hour stretch.

I am glad we took advantage of the nice weekend because today we are back to snow, with 3-6 inches forecast. Tomorrow is supposed to be sunny though so I think winter can't hang on forever.

Hydronephrosis Update

We went to Finn's follow-up ultrasound today to look at his kidneys. It is good news in that the hydronephrosis appears to be gone in the right kidney and about the same in the left. They are optimistic that he will still outgrow it in the left and they just want to continue to monitor it to make sure. We don't have to go back for another 6 months.

And they did a height and weight check...drumrollllllll.....Finnbar is now 16 lbs 1.5 oz and 25 1/2 inches tall. Wow, he has almost doubled his birth weight! He is a very big and healthy boy.

4 Months!

Finn is 4 months old today! I tried to get some fun smiley photos, but every time the camera comes out he just stares at it...

His favorite thing these days is mirror time. He loves smiling and chatting to his reflection:

What is this camera device, Mom?

And, now that he is 4 months old, he is really working on sitting. He hates to lie down to play now, and insists on sitting or standing with plenty of assistance. Turns out he can sit in the laundry basket: