Summer is here!

Somehow it's almost the end of May!  When did that happen?  This month has been crazzzyyy busy at our house.  With the hubs working extra, beautiful weather, random events, and trying to keep up with an increasingly more active one-year-old... the days fly by!

Jake and I got all done up for a Gala a few weeks ago!

Running in the past month has been humbling for me (to say the least).  After my rough 20-miler, I felt some tight areas that, combined with a new shoe problem, lead to shin splints and a pulled quad. After two weeks of little to no running and I was finally ready to try a long run... but instead, I broke my pinky toe.

I'm sure you wanted to see my super attractive foot.  You're welcome.

I am scheduled to run a marathon in three weeks from today.  Not exactly ideal.  So where does that leave me?  Well, I don't know.  Tickets are purchased, so worst case scenario I will run the half marathon.  Okay, worst case scenario I won't run at all, but I think I could do the half.  And I'm hoping I can do the full. I'm not a person that likes to run half-heartedly in full marathons, but I also need to set realistic expectations coming off a month of injuries. I guess I will just wait and see how my body cooperates,  Lesson to all of you:  NEVER take advantage of pain-free running.  It's a blessing.

On a much more positive note... it is amazing to me how quickly children learn.  They are like little sponges! Here is a quick 14-month update on Gavin!

His favorite new tricks this month:
- Blowing kisses, pointing out ears/eyes/noses, throwing his head back in fake laughter, dancing, stacking toys, bringing books to me and plopping on my lap so I will read to him, playing outside, practicing going up/down stairs, rolling his r's, waving, coloring and chasing Diego.

This laugh.  Goof.

All of the sudden he is 18 drafting architectural plans.
(OR scribbling.  But seriously! Time.... slow DOWN!)

He LOVES running after Diego.  

Words he Says:
- Up, no, yes, all done, 'nana (banana), E-I-E-I-O (Old McDonald song), Mama, Dada, Amba,  (Amber, my sis), ruff ruff, ABC, uh-oh, uh-huh, eat, and lots of others I can't think of!  He is SO talkative and is constantly trying to mimic what we say.  Love it.

Challenges:
- His allergies :(  His skin has been at an all-time LOW.  He has a rash all over his body and we cannot figure out what it's from.  We're leaning toward a pollen allergy but not sure.  Thank goodness most kids outgrow this stuff. And thank goodness he is happy as a clam.
- Daycare germs.  He is currently sick with his 628th ear infection. Okay, a bit of an exaggeration, but it feels like every week he gets a runny nose from daycare which then progresses into a clogged ear tube (he had tubes placed when he was 9 months old) and then it gets infected.  My heart breaks for him every time.

Luckily he's just as fun as ever and really doesn't seem phased by any of it!

When the days get longer and the weather gets more beautiful, Alaskans can't stay inside.  Gavin and I have been spending time outside every day whether it is walking around in the yard, going to the park, hiking, or playing with friends.

Who's having more fun, Gavin or Mom?

Bestest little bud.

"Mother's hold their children's hands for a short while, but their hearts forever"

My little hiking buddy.

Does it count as double mileage since I'm carrying him?

I'm getting more and more excited for the next few months because we have a two out-of-state trips planned, tons of camping adventures, my BFF in the whole world will be back for 6 weeks, BBQ season, and trail running! My plan is to slow down on the road running and focus on trails a bit more since the pavement has not been very kind to my body lately.  My super rock-star sister is a hard core trail runner so I'm hoping to tag along on her adventures! There's going to be lots of fun times and I'll try to keep updating as I go!

And in case you didn't get enough cuteness from these pictures, I'll fill that quota.  

ONE.

And just like that, we have a one-year-old.  

The blink of an eye.  It's like the saying goes, "The years are short, but the days are long."  Some days seemed to stretch on forever (colic for 5 months, Gavin waking every 1-2 hours for the first 9 months of life, etc.), but overall, I can't believe an entire year has gone by.  What was life like before having this cute side-kick around? 

(Okay, I do remember... freedom to do pretty much anything anytime I wanted, with as much sleep as I wanted, but wouldn't trade it in a second!)

Life with a "pre-toddler" (age 12-18 mos) is fun, exciting, and exhausting.  He is everywhere.

He is walking...

Rehydrating after his workout.

And talking (tried to upload a video but it didn't work! So just imagine the cutest baby voice ever!) ...

And practicing all sorts of fun tricks that make keep me on my toes!

Believe it or not, I had just cleaned the house 20 minutes before.

Jake is the best Dad I could ever imagine for our little kiddo.  The love they share makes me melt.

Gavin's favorite things these days are: going down slides, reading his books, playing with Diego, walking, dancing, playing his Piano, pushing his firetrucks & cars and snuggling (my favorite).

He gives the best hugs. 

Best buds

 We are so blessed to have this little guy as our son.  Thanks for giving us the privilege of being your parents, Gavin!  We love you to the moon!

9 months

Wow. This little man is almost 9 months old. When did that happen?

I'm sure you've all missed me terribly and while I would like to promise that I'll write more frequently, let's be honest- given my history that is probably not going to happen!  But I promise to try!  Life has been busy and I've been savoring every moment of motherhood!

Every day keeps getting better and better as a mom. Gavin is incredible. His smile, his laugh, his personality... Each day there is something more I can't get enough of! He is crawling all over, clapping and waving his hands, pushing himself to standing, and he loves to talk about his favorite person "da da" or maybe that's short for Diego... It's hard to say! He is the smiliest little guy and seriously brings more joy to life than we could ever have imagined. 

I am back at work part time and feel so blessed to have this schedule. I get to have 4 days in a row with Gavin and 3 days working and seeing my patients. It's truly the perfect balance! Luckily Jake has a schedule that allows him to watch Gavin a couple days per week when I work as well, so he gets his alone time with him too!

"And they lived happily ever after..."

It's funny how each month I feel like things get easier and I look back to the month before and think, how did I think things were easy then? The first few months were rough, I won't lie. My love of being a mom was instant and I truly felt connected to Gavin the moment I felt his skin on mine. But let me tell you a little something about being a new mom: sleep deprivation + hormones + breastfeeding = zombie like state. Much of the time I felt like I was in a fog! But I'm finally out of that cloud and every minute gets better than the last! 

There's so many surprises that becoming a parent brings, like: 

1.) That warmth you're feeling at 3am when you're up changing a diaper is not a warm breeze, but a bullseye shot of pee...

2.) Learning that a three hour stretch of sleep is more precious than gold

3.) A shower becomes your 3 minute getaway to the spa

4.) "Fashionable" equates to a shirt without milk stains or God knows what

5.) The car becomes your best friend when a certain someone doesn't want to nap

6.) Hill training takes on a whole new meaning with a 20 pound baby plus stroller 

7.) You spend more time talking about poop than you'd like to admit

8.) There is nothing as cute as a baby's smile and giggle 

9.) Yoga pants, a pony tail, and no make-up are perfectly acceptable for any occasion

10.) You cheer for your baby like they've just won a gold medal when they do something cute (including poop.  See number 7 for more information).

It's the best.  Parenting truly has brought so much joy to my life and I feel so so lucky to be able to be this little guys' mom.

The last few weeks I've been missing writing on the blog, and so of course my goal is to write as much as I can!  I have lots to share about running, baby food allergies, traveling with baby, and the laughs, joys, and challenges of being a first-time parent!  

I hope this finds you well!!