Last weekend on the inside.

Its official this was our last weekend in home quarantine. May 1st it will be over. We will be free to start taking Kate out, and showing her off in public. Its been 11 months total, almost her entire first year. Its been so long that honestly I don't really know what to expect when it is over. Part of me just doesn't think it will be that different. This is what happens when your abnormal lifestyle slowly becomes your normal.

There have been a few perks to all this time at home. First and foremost, we avoided RSV, H1N1, influenza, ear infections and a few other illnesses. It was great on the pocket book. Amazing how much money you save when you never leave the house. Though you really can buy just about anything on-line. I also started doing a few things I never thought I would, such as blogging. But, I most say the house is not clean and those type of projects never happened.

We really got to know our daughter too. I mean I know it not possible or even needed for everyone but her little world has been exactly what she needed to grow and be healthy. She had a routine, naps in her crib and a very attentive audience. We didn't have the stress of trying to pack her all around. We didn't force her to nap in her car seat while we ran lots of errands. For somebody who had a pretty rough beginning she really has had the last 8 months to grow and be cozy with mom and dad.

Now on the flip side, there are lots of things we need to catch up on. I feel like we have the largest newborn ever. I have never even taken her into a grocery store, or mall. I've hardly ever had anyone else touch her for that matter. She hasn't been to see Ed's work. She hasn't met hardly any relatives, much less traveled for a visit. Our diaper bag looks like we just got it.

Beyond the logistics of doing things with a baby, we can't help but have a bit of anxiety over this big step. I refuse to live our life in fear though. I want Kate to be independent, brave, and resilient. I have to embrace these qualities then too. I don't want her beginning to shape every aspect of how we treat and view her. Its time to start making new memories.

Tulip Season in Skagit Valley.

The Skagit Valley is one of the top tulip producers in the world. I forget how beautiful they are almost every year, until they start sprouting up in the spring. Eddie took this picture last weekend in some near by fields. I will miss seeing them on my way to work, as they cut most of them this week.

The race is over but the fun keeps going!

I did it! Finished my first race post baby, and really my first race in well over a year. And I loved it. It was so fun and it went great. So much better than I thought it might go, a huge surprise and relief given how little I was able to train.

That is one of the great things of motherhood, you have so little time that just being able to go to something is a true success. Pre-Kate I would have worried about the race, and really trained and then when I didn't run exactly like I thought I should have I would have been disappointed in myself. Well, now I just don't have time or energy for that. Plus since you spend most of your time thinking about somebody else it makes what you do for yourself so much sweeter.

The highlights of the race were that it was a new course (I've run this 1/2 marathon two other times, and for those who don't run a 1/2 marathon is 13.2 miles). I thought it was less scenic but, a bit easier on the legs which was nice around mile 9 on. I ran it with a friend from vet school and that made it so fun. My friend is a new mom too, so of course we had tons of kiddo talk to go around and it made the miles go so fast. We both ran pretty good times, Diana ran a sub 2 hour (way to go) and I was at 2:01. Not bad for some working new moms! You'll see us in the pictures above basking with babies post race. Kate couldn't go to the actual run, she still has a few weeks under house arrest. But she loved playing with my finisher medal (the other picture). I even dare to think that I will now be signing up for the Seattle Rock and Roll 1/2 marathon in June.

A rainbow after a long storm really can be a beautiful thing!

More teething, easter and just a bit exhausted.

Time just keeps moving on, sometimes dragging me with it a bit too. Katie's first Easter was a success on all accounts, as there was the standard posing with bunny ears (thanks Kandy for the great bunny coat!), and then she thought that being in the baskets was the best.

Kate is at the fun stage where she likes all objects. She likes to put everything in her mouth as well as get into them and explore. She has a plastic crate of toys in the living room and she likes to sit in front of it and take them out one at a time. Eventually they are all out and then she is ready to put the crate on her head.

Teething just drags on. She'll have a good few days, and then ist red gums, drooling, and grumpy time. She doesn't really take to any of the standard teething items, though a finger and cold wash clothe will soothe. It really makes her sleeping suffer, which makes our sleep suffer.

I think that all people should erase from their conversations this question: "Does she sleep through the night?". I guess there are children out there that start sleeping from 7 pm to 7 am at 3 months old. These are also the children that never have temper tantrums, and eat all their vegetables. We get some solid times of sleep from Kate. She goes to bed by 8 pm at the latest, and typically goes down relatively easy. She currently gets up typically once or twice a night, we give her a bottle and she goes back to sleep. Then there are the exceptions, like this week where there were several days of being up from 2 am to 4 am, then back up at 6 am. I just feel that having children equals lots of little wake ups in the night, and the rest of the world asking you if they are sleeping through the night is just irritating.

This weekend is the half-marathon. So if I don't blog anymore, I am probably face down on the road somewhere with little waffle shoe marks across my back.