First post-pregnancy 1/2 Marathon - "Run, Mommy, Run!"

Just over a week and a half ago, I completed my first half marathon since giving birth to our Nugget. Just before we found out we were pregnant, I had ran my "fastest" (I'm not kidding myself, there is nothing fast about my running...yet!) 1/2 marathon and I really felt like I was heading in the direction of my goal, finishing a 1/2 marathon in under 2 hours. Of course being pregnant, I didn't train for any races, but I did continue to run throughout my pregnancy and I wouldn't change that decision for anything. I've said it before and I'll say it again, staying active was the best decision I made and really think it played a huge part in me enjoying pregnancy and having a natural, unmediated birth. Anyways, 6 weeks after having Em, I started back running. I took it slow, one because I was nervous and two because we had a rough winter, but I tried my best to be consistent and get out and run at least 3 times a week. With that being said, I didn't put nearly as much distance in as I should have, the furthest I ran prior to the big 13.1 was 6 miles, but I still felt good on race day and when I crossed the finish it never felt better. I loved running for me, but I loved running for my Hubs and Em who watched and cheered for me the whole way. They even brought tears to my emotional Mommy eyes, when I saw them at mile 7! I love running, I may not be the best, but it's something that I can do for me and it's something that I can do to show my little family that I want to take care of myself for them!

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith..."
Hebrews 12:1-2

At this time in my life I feel like I have a lot of races going. The race to be the best follower of Christ, the best wife to Shawn, the best Mom to Em. Finding a healthy balance isn't always easy and sometimes I flat out fail, BUT I'm thankful for God's grace during those failures, and for Shawn's and Em's, and for the energy to get back out there. Failure is hard, but in our failures sometimes come our biggest victories. 

Finishing the 13.1 of the Diva 1/2 was a huge victory for me and I'm thankful for those that supported me along the way. Here are a few pictures of race day!

9 months in, 9 months out!

Well here we are, Em has been outside of my tummy as long as she was inside by tummy. When I think about that I am reminded of the miracle of life. Of all the detail that God puts into making us. From the hairs on our heads, to the shape of our nose (lets pray Em gets mine), to the sound of our laugh, God creates each of us; special and unique.

This past month so much has changed in terms of Em's development and uniqueness. She went from trying to crawl to making her way all over the house in what seemed like overnight. She pulled up on the couch just a 2 weeks after that and is starting to take "steps" if we hold onto her hands. Needless to say this girl is on the move and so active. Maybe she will be a "runner" like her Mommy.

Em loves feeding herself finger foods and her new favorite food by far is CHEESE. The girl would eat a whole block if we let her. We've also had homemade macaroni and cheese and she loves it! She also loves banana, carrots and of course the infamous puffs. We decided to give her them to get her into feeding herself and now she is hooked. If we pull them she gets so excited, so we definitely have to limit them. Something that is really important to me, don't ask me why, is that she develop a love of all food, especially the healthy stuff, so we are always trying to give her vegetable and protein first before giving the fruits. We'll see how effective this is as she develops more of an opinion. Em loves bath time, taking naps with Mommy, playing with her toys (especially the books and puzzles which are so tasty), going for runs/walks, swinging, waving, giving kisses and using her favorite word which is still, Da-Da! She is learning to love getting her diaper changed, putting on her clothes after bath time and swim class. 

She went to the doctor today for her 9 month check up and everything is looking great! She had her Hemoglobin checked and it was perfect, yay! She weighed in at 19 pounds and was 28 1/2 inches long. She is still wearing size 3 diapers and fits best in 9-12 month clothing. She takes 2 naps a day, eats 3 meals a day, nurses 5 times a day and sleeps 12 hours at night...most of the time. ;)

Here are a few pictures of our girl. Taking her picture is getting much more difficult since she is all over the place, but she's adorable as always...at least we think so!

As I said, she loves giving big, sloppy kisses!

Happy Thursday.

Ash

E.I.G.H.T. Months Old

August, already?! Come on now.

Yes, it's true...in case you hadn't heard summer is almost over and if you are like me, it seems like it just started! With that being said, this past month has brought us a whole new side to our sweet girl. A crawling and rolling all over the place, sitting up from laying down on her own, TWO teeth baring 8 month old side. Could she be changing and growing any faster? I feel like every day I am saying that she is doing something new for the first time. For instance, saying, "Da-Da!" It happened, she clearly said Da-Da last week and has not stopped since. It really is so cute and Shawn of course loves it. Every time she says it or screams it, since that is her preferred volume, Shawn comes running around the corner to swoop her into his arms.

Among all the good and exciting things that Em has developed, it seems a bit of stranger danger/separation anxiety has come along as well. This mainly rears it's head during swim lessons and when she first wakes up. With that being said, swim lessons have become a bit interesting now that she is going under water and has to be in the instructors arms at some point. Almost every time we hand her off to her instructor the tears come, but are immediately under control once she is back safe and sound in Mommy or Daddy's arms. I can't say I hate it, but I can't say I like it either. I LOVE that she feels safe with us, but don't want her to be, "that kid," that only wants to be held by us. I of course know that this is all developmentally appropriate and that one day I will be begging her to let me snuggle up with her, so maybe I should stop worrying about it and enjoy the need for snuggles while it lasts.

And the stats:

Our Nugget is up to eating 2 "meals" a day, breakfast and dinner and is still nursing 5 times a day. Her favorite foods seem to be blueberries, bananas, yogurt, squash and zucchini. We plan on starting her on lunch this week, so we will see how that affects her nursing schedule. She is taking 2 to 3 naps a day. Some days we skip the late afternoon nap depending on what all we have been up to that day and how long her previous naps were. She wears size 3 diapers, a wide array of sizes for clothes and is weighing roughly 18-19 pounds. We'll have an official weigh in next month!

Well, that's all for now!

<3, Ash

OBX - Sellers Family Vacation

For the last several years our family has made the drive down to the beautiful shores of North Carolina for a week or so away from the everyday hustle bustle of life. It's a staple family vacation and even though we always say we want to go somewhere different, I think there is just something about the OBX that will keep us coming back year after year. 

This year was extra special because it was the Nugget's first trip! All things considered, she did awesome. Her naps were great, thanks to Papa and Uncle Luke staying in the camper with her while us ladies stayed on the beach and she slept pretty well throughout the night. (She is working on tooth #2, so she was a bit fussy, but we got her an Amber Teething Necklace and it really dose seem to be helping.) Despite the change in scenery she still ate pretty well, although she was easily distracted by all her family being around. Uncle Luke even tried some creative techniques to try and get her to eat more of her dinner. Speaking of Uncle Luke...he is married and we got to hang out with him and his WIFE on the beach!! I Just love saying that. Anyways, Emerson loved the water, sand and sun! We bought baby pool and filled it with ocean water and she seemed so content just splashing and playing. I think it's possible that we may have a future beach bum on our hands and I am definitely okay with that! 

Luke and Katie say: "I do!"

This past weekend the long awaited day came for my brother to marry the love of his life. With two little words, "I do," a whole new adventure began for the two of them and I am so excited for what God has in store for their life together as Husband and Wife. 

Luke and Katie, we love you more than you know. Katie, you were absolutely stunning and Luke I could not have been more proud to see you standing at the alter waiting for your beautiful bride. Your wedding weekend was full of so much love and we could feel the presence of God surrounding us as two families became one. 

Here are a few shots from the rehearsal dinner and wedding day! :)

Love,

Ash