Happy Independence Day!

What a great day. I started the day by running the Peachtree Road Race. I was in time group 2. Hooray! Hopefully next year I'll run a good qualifying time and get back into 1-B or 1-A. My fab husband dropped me off about 1/4 mile from the start so I wouldn't have to take MARTA, which meant we left the house at 6:45 AM for the 7:30 race. For the past 4-5 Peachtrees I've had the good fortune to start near the front, right in front of the Ritz-Carlton. Let me tell you the best-kept secret of the Peachtree Road Race: The Ritz-Carlton restrooms. Why wait in line for a port-a-john when you can enter the Ritz-Carlton (door held open for you by a bellman), go directly to the ladies' room (no line), and enjoy marble-tiled facilities with TP and paper towels? I love you, Ritz-Carlton.

There's always a lot to see and hear during the race. Some highlights:

• Seeing the man dressed in a Spiderman costume--full-length lycra unitard. He was walking and carrying his mask at mile 2, probably because his spidey senses were tingling, telling him he had heatstroke.
• Hearing Axel F and thinking how I haven't heard it since 1985 when my brother used to play it on his keyboard.
  
• Getting very excited when I realized it was a club remix version of Axel F! I love a remix!!!
  
• Liking the "Thanks to all our veterans" sign a spectator was holding up.
  
• Seeing three spectators dressed like Chippendales dancers (They were reminiscent of Chris in the Chris Farley/Patrick Swayze Chippendales SNL sketch.)
  
• Getting to mile 4 and realizing I wasn't going to break 60 minutes and not feeling bad about it at all.
• Thinking about my Sweets LJ and MLJ and feeling so peaceful knowing her daddy was taking good care of her.
  
• Happy to get to Midtown because that's where good shade starts.
• Hearing Chariots of Fire blaring as soon as I hit Midtown, which was exciting by itself, and then being SOOO excited because it was a club remix version of Chariots of Fire!!!
• Thinking about running the race last year while about 7 weeks pregnant and not remembering much about it except being very nervous I'd get overheated, and also that Sweet LJ was holding up a poster that said, "Valdosta loves you!"
  
• Getting to mile 6 and realizing I was going to break 60 minutes! yee ha.
• Finishing in 58:36 (official chip time).
  
• Getting a mist in the face by a volunteer who brought along her personal misting fan.
• Not hating the t-shirt for a change (first one on the left).
• Meeting my biggest fans under the big balloon.

All the times I've run this race, I've never stayed for the awards. We did this year because I had a chance to win a trip to London (didn't win).

Unofficial time

When we got home, Mary Lawton showed us how she can roll off her mat.

That afternoon we headed to Jan and Bruce's for a cookout. I planned to take lots of photos, but I only got one of Gail and Mary Lawton.
We had a wonderful day and hope you did, too. Happy birthday, America!

Hello, ladies!

In case you're taking time out from sunning yourselves and eating tasty snacks to read blogs, hello to all the ladies at Folly Beach! Mary Lawton hopes to cruise the washout when she gets a little older.

Milestones!

Mary Lawton is rolling over from back to tummy! She did it for the first time Friday morning for Sweet LJ (I missed it), and all weekend. I still haven't seen her do it--I just see her on her tummy after I know I've put her down on her back.

The other milestone, if you want to call it that, is that she can blow raspberries (you know, spit bubbles). This is her new favorite activity. The drool faucet by itself just wasn't enough; now she wants to spread it everywhere.

Every day is a little more fun.

Happy baby

First run with BOB

We ran together, BOB, Mary Lawton, and I, yesterday for the first time and again this morning. She did great and fell asleep both times after about 20 minutes.
First ride: Sunglasses for obvious reasons, bib so she won't chew on the harness straps, toys just in case. She didn't really need the toys, and today she just cruised and watched the world go by.

What I see when I run: Chubby legs, ankles crossed

p.s.- In case anyone is freaking out, yes, technically she's a little young for a jogging stroller. Her pediatrician said it was fine, though, because she has good head control.

Just practicing

Oh my

Cutest girl in the world woke up fussing 3 times last night. This part is not unusual. What is unusual is that each time she'd had a diaper leak, and pee was everywhere. Poor girl. You'd think I would've learned my lesson the 1st time, but it was only after the 3rd time did I put 2 diapers on her. The diapers aren't too small. They were taped. She hadn't chugged a gallon of water before bed. I really don't know what happened. Wish us a drier night tonight, please.

One more thing: My ab fab husband stripped the crib and remade it the first time, and I almost cried with happiness. You're the best, LJ! (The next time I was able just to replace the pee pad. The third time was a total bust.) Some of you recommended the ultimate crib sheet way back when, and I never got any. On my list now, after filling up the washing machine with one night's worth of pee sheets, pads, and baby t-shirts.

At least it was just pee.

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to the most wonderful dad! We love you.

Mary Lawton, Coqui, and Moe

I got some love on Father's Day, too.

Four months check-up

Weight: 13 pounds (25th-50th percentile)
Length: 25 inches (75th percentile)

Mary Lawton had her 4 months visit on Wednesday. I was a little worried about her weight (when I found out she's in the 25th-50th percentile), but Dr. M said not to worry--she's still just long and lean. She's very healthy all around. She got 2 shots and one oral vaccine, and they didn't go over well. There was a lot of heart-wrenching wailing. I remembered to give her Tylenol before the shots, because she was very irritable and sore after the vaccines at her 2 months appointment. It seemed to help; at daycare that afternoon she took at 2.5-hour nap, was very happy that evening, and slept well that night.

Feeling sooo fortunate to have a healthy girl.

4 months old

How can the little bluebird be 4 months old already? This really has been a fun month with Mary Lawton.She is very mobile for someone who can't sit up, crawl, or walk yet. She is great at rolling over from tummy to back and doesn't realize how close she is to rolling from back to tummy. She spins around on her back easily and quickly when she's on a play mat. We put her down in one direction, and find that she has scooted all the way around in minutes--sometimes off the mat. We put her down to sleep in one direction, and later she's in some other spot in the crib. She usually sleeps on her side now. In fact, she usually curls over on her side whenever we put her on her back, whether it's play or sleep.
Speaking of sleep, I hesitate to say she's a poor sleeper or a good sleeper. She sleeps like a 4-month-old--sometimes it's good for her parents and sometimes not so good for her parents. But, it's always good for her. She successfully can put herself to sleep, which is really nice. She'll play and talk herself to sleep, often without a pacifier.
She is a very funny girl, and I think she knows it. She cackles at everything, even herself. Her laughter makes her laugh even more. She lights up when I present her with a toy and positively glows when she gets to stand on a lap. Sweet LJ holds her up and "walks" her every day, and she thinks that's big fun. Her favorite game is when I eat her belly with loud chomping noises. She squeals and laughs nonstop.
Mary Lawton is the noisiest baby I've ever been around, but admittedly I haven't been around tons of babies. She chatters constantly, stopping only to eat, sleep, and when she's distracted by something and has to take a look. A few days ago she made a "muh" sound for the first time, and I know, "Mama, I love you," is just a few weeks away. She talks to her toys, very seriously, and talks to us, and sometimes when I sing to her she will start singing along.

Last week one of her daycare teachers, Miss Ambrosia (real name), told me that everyone loves Mary Lawton. They love her "pretty eyes," and she went on about how sweet and good natured Mary Lawton is (which I know but is always nice to hear:). My heart still hurts over having to leave her in daycare, but as the youngest child in the whole center right now, she gets lots of attention. When I went by one day there were 4 children and 5 workers in her class, so the ratio is really good. Oh, and yes, I can go by--she's only 4 blocks from my workplace.
Mary Lawton is a good eater most of the time. She gets most of her eating done at daycare, I guess, because she's healthy and would just rather socialize with me. When I feed her, she eats for a second, then pulls back to smile at me and chat. This will go on and on until I finally just give up.
Mary Lawton, we hardly remember life before you (except that there was a lot more sleep). You're a great little buddy, and we appreciate how sweet and good you are. Your dad often remarks that you're the perfect baby. I don't know what we did to deserve the perfect baby, but we know how fortunate we are! Thank you, thank you, thank you.

The End

A future fish

My employer has an offsite recreational area with a pool, tennis courts, a playground, etc., and it's quite close to our house. We love the pool, because it's huge, there are shady spots, and nice chairs, and it's never crowded. On Sunday we went to the pool for the first time this summer. We wondered how Mary Lawton would do--meltdown, poop in the pool?--but she was great. We only took her in the baby pool, and we probably should've tried the big pool, too, because it turned out to be warmer than the baby pool.
After a couple of hours (don't worry--she was in the shade most of the time), she passed out. We had a great afternoon and definitely plan to return.

diapers.com

Last week I placed my first order on diapers.com, and I'm very happy. I ordered lots of Nature Babycare diapers and some milk storage bags. I ordered on Wednesday, and everything arrived on Friday. Plus, I saved 10% off the bags with a new customer discount code, $10 off the diapers with another discount code I found at flamingoworld.com, and got free shipping because I spent over $49.

If you've never tried diapers.com and are interested, here is a deal for you:
If you are a new customer and use my referral code as a discount code, you can take $10 off your first order of $49 or more. My code is JJBL9438. (What's in it for me? I get $1 credit for each new referral.)

Diapers.com sells cloth diapers, clothing, and lots of other stuff, too, so check it out, even if you don't want to use my code.

[End of shameless plug for diaper discounts]

Aquarium adventure

The Georgia Aquarium has been open for what, 2 years?, and we finally made it there on Sunday. What's really sad is that my wonderful aunt and uncle gave us annual passes for Christmas. [gulp]

On Sunday morning Sweet LJ had the brilliant idea to go to the aquarium. The verdict: Fabulous! We arrived about an hour after it opened and were there about 2 hours. It got pretty crowded pretty fast. It really is a spectacular place. I was most impressed with the ocean exhibit with the giant manta rays and whale sharks.The beluga whales were pretty entertaining. One (Rico) kept swimming up to the glass smiling at the crowd.

Rico

I was a bit disturbed by the preserved giant squid under glass; that the mascot is named "Deepo," in a not-very-subtle reference to, I'm sure, the aquarium's biggest sponsor; and also at how some adults were behaving at the sting ray touch pool, but what can you do.

Mary Lawton seemed interested in some giant grouper and the beluga whales, but she mostly wanted to watch people. There is so much for kids to do there, that I'm sure she'll be running wild in a few years.

Passed out. Notice foot propped up on toy.

Talking to another mom.

We've already planned to return, next time with a picnic to eat on the gorgeous grounds between the aquarium and World of Coke. Thanks, Jan and Bruce!

Getting used to the BOB

Fell asleep during a long walk. 3 months, 3 weeks old

Playtime

3 months, 2 weeks, 5 days

Clean baby

3 months, 3 weeks, 5 days

Mary Lawton and Georgia

Someone suggested that Mary Lawton perhaps looks a little like her cousin Georgia. There might be a slight family resemblance, but I don't see too much. It was worth a comparison, though. Mary Lawton certainly doesn't have Georgia's amazing blue eyes!

Mary Lawton

Georgia

Mary Lawton

Georgia

hmm...maybe the ears :) Georgia is a grown up 2+ years old now! Mary Lawton can't wait to meet you, Georgia.

Pumping questions

[This post might be a little TMI for some. You've been warned.]

I pump 2 or 3 times a day at work, and I use a small manual pump. Each time takes me about 15 minutes, and I get 3-6 ounces. I intended to get an electric pump before returning to work but never did. I feel like I'm pretty efficient with the manual pump, plus it's really light and really quiet. Should I invest in an electric pump? Should I rent one? How much faster will an electric pump be? Will I collect more milk? I really don't know how much longer I'll keep this up--at least 2 months. I don't mind the little pump at all, but I wonder whether I'm wasting time.

Thanks for your comments.

Ready for school

A photo shoot this morning: 3 months, 2 weeks, 5 days old

Sitting up is still pretty tricky!

Some fake coughing and talking

3 months, 2 weeks old


Talking to her dad. 3 months, 2 weeks, 1 day old. (Although it appears that we do, we don't really hang out in the dark. I guess I need to turn on more lights when recording videos.)

Playing is hard work

Mary Lawton was playing hard on her mat, and then I flipped her over for some tummy time. She played some more, and then I looked over and saw she could barely hold her eyes open. About 5 minutes after I took this photo, she passed out.

Memorial Day

3 months, 1 week, 2 days

Choosing a good day

Today marks the beginning of the 4th week our sweet baby is in daycare. I've written about it only in passing, because it makes me a little sick inside. I had to return to work, though.

Today I'm having a hard time. It was extra difficult to drop her off this morning. I should be working right now, but obviously I'm not. I'm very sad and a bit torn up and maybe should have turned around and taken her home, because this "work" day will probably be a total wash.

Sweet LJ often tells me in the morning to choose to have a good day, because really, in the end, it is a choice. Am I going to let people and things get to me and ruin my perfectly nice day? I'm so trying to choose to have a good day and focusing on seeing the wonderful faces of my Sweet LJ and MLJ this evening. I love you both like crazy.

Choose to have a good day, everybody.