Foto Friday

This was my favorite picture I took while on vacation...

Touch a Truck #2

Our flight for Montana left late in the day which gave us the opportunity to attend yet another Touch-a-Truck event.  This time Dave got to come with us.  We got there late and had to leave within an hour to eat lunch, finish packing, and head to the airport, but we got to see some awesome trucks. 

 

Foto Friday

Anderson and I are soaking up and enjoying every last second of summer.

Foto Friday

Foto Friday

Think we've been doing some remodeling at our house?  The other day I looked around the corner and saw Anderson "painting" the wall.

Hartford Fair 2014

We have been to the fair!

The Hartford Fair is dubbed "The biggest little fair in the world" or something like that.  I don't know if it is or not, but for a $6 admission, it's worth a go. 

This year was so much fun with Anderson.  First we took him into the barn with the ducks, geese, turkeys, chickens, and rabbits.  He was in heaven.  He loved that they quacked at him.  He seemed to stay in the barn forever.  Me?  Well, I do NOT like birds of any kind so this was a nightmare for me.  We next got to see the pigs, the cows (they were HUGE), the sheep and goats, and finally some horses. 

He quickly grew tired of the animals and then it was on to the tractors.  I didn't bring my big camera.  My mom took most of the pictures on her camera and I have yet to see the pictures.  But, I did take a few with my phone.  Pure joy (and pure nightmare when we tried to leave each tractor).

Finally we finished up the evening with some yummy dinner (for me, homemade chicken and noodles) and then yummy, local Velvet ice cream.

Do you have a county or state fair you like to go to?
What's your favorite attraction at the fair?
What's your favorite fair food?

Foto Friday

Touch-a-Truck

My son is ALL boy.  I always thought that children became girly girl or super boy based on their environment.  I don't think that's true.  Anderson has just developed as ALL boy. 

He loves trucks.  We will be walking or driving somewhere and he'll just say "oooh, truck!!!"  Last week I made his dreams come true and took him to "Touch-a-Truck" in a neighboring town.  He must have said "truck" a thousand times.  He ran between the vehicles.  He pointed and squealed.  It was beautiful. 

 

Mother of the Year

We bought a new house back in November 2013 and moved in this past February.  It's an older home, a real fixer-upper, but it kept us in the school district, moved up even closer to work, and gave us land, privacy, and a great place to raise Anderson.  In the months that have followed we have begun lots of improvements on this home.  I'm planning a whole series called "Cats and Brass" about this home coming soon.

The last couple of weekends we have been working on Anderson's room.  Basically, it's just painting, but as we have learned it is never as easy as "just painting."  First, we had to take down the god-awful vertical blinds.  Then we had to patch the walls where all the nail holes, screw holes, other holes, and bad things in the walls were.  Next we have had to paint all the trim - baseboards, window trim, closet doors.  Why?  Well, because they had painted an accent wall including the baseboards and window trim.  Of course.  So we decided to paint all of it white.  Finally, and hopefully soon, we will be able to paint the walls and hang his artwork.

To be able to work together and get things moving, we have had to put Anderson in his jail crib.

Today while Dave was at work, I worked on priming the closet doors while Anderson watched Bubble Guppies in his crib.  I got about 20 minutes of work in before he started having a meltdown.  It was lunch time and he was also ready for a nap.  So I prepared him lunch.

Anderson is in this stage right now where he doesn't want to eat baby food anymore, but really hasn't found a whole bunch of adult food that he likes.   So for lunch I tried something new, a ham and turkey sandwich with mustard.  He instantly hated it and let me know by screaming at the top of his lungs and crying with real tears.  I got him some cottage cheese and grapes and all was right with the world again.

Finally, he decided to drink his milk in the living room while I ate my lunch.  And while I was finishing my lunch he made a dirty diaper.

So to recap, screaming kid in his crib, screaming kid because I did not fix him a good lunch, and a dirty diaper.  You following?  Sounds like a rough hour, eh?

It gets worse.

Also at lunch time I take the dog out and give her a little to eat so we're all ready for our nap post lunch.  I took Sloopy out as always and left Anderson in the house.  He followed me over to the door, screaming all the way, and I worried a little that he was going to get into the dog's water dish (which happens often).  I should have worried more.

I came in the house and couldn't find Anderson.  And then it hit me.

Oh SHIT!!!

I ran into his room, which I obviously forgot to close off and, of course, he was playing in the left over paint.  He had it all over his hands, a little on his legs, and a little on his face.  Thank goodness, he had not put it in his mouth.  He had also put two pacifiers in it and a toy.  Anderson did NOT enjoy having paint all over himself and was throwing an absolute fit!

I first took a picture (duh), then I got the pacifiers and toy cleaned off.  Then I grabbed Anderson to put him in the bath.  But of course, I hadn't changed his gross diaper yet so I had to take care of that.  I come back in from throwing it away and he's crying at the top of his lungs running around the house naked.  I grab him and put him in the bath only to realize I didn't have soap or a wash cloth, or a towel.  Crap!  I yelled at Anderson not to drown and ran to his room to get those things.

I got him cleaned off and cleaned up and we all took a good nap.

If there was ever a day I needed some ice cream or a drink or a hot bath, today is the day.

We Bought a Zoo {membership}!!!

A few weeks ago Dave had the day off and we, as a family, went to the zoo for the first time.  We are so lucky to live so close to the best zoo and took advantage of it this year by buying a zoo membership.  I hope to take Anderson several times this summer to see the entire zoo.  It's too much for a 1 year old to do the whole thing at once, but we did hit up a few awesome attractions.

First we checked out the newest exhibit, the Heart of Africa.  This was so cool.  It's this huge open space filled with lions and zebras and giraffes and ostriches and whatnot.  I loved seeing the giraffes.  I think Anderson liked it too.

 

We also went to the petting zoo where Anderson got up close and personal with some goats.

My favorite part of the trip was the aquarium.  Anderson loved being eye-level with the fish.  And yes, I might have cried a little seeing him so happy.

Finally we finished out the trip seeing the monkeys and gorillas.  There were two baby monkeys that were only a month old and a new baby gorilla that was about 4 months old.

We were only there a few hours and maybe saw half of the zoo.  We will have to go back another time and try to find the creepy crawlies like the snakes and spiders.  I would also love to see the elephants.  I can't wait to take Anderson back!

Taking Giant Leaps

Last Monday I put on my big girl panties and did something I was dreading.  I resigned from my job.

I have a great job.  It's all busy-work, which I love.  I can set my own hours.  I'm only part time.  My boss allows me to work from home.  It worked out that Dave and I could both work at the same company and not put the baby in child care.  So, why did I quit?

For us, it was the right decision. Working from home has become very difficult.  When Anderson was a baby I was able to put him in the swing or in the high chair and he would be content while I work.  Now he runs (crawls) around as fast as lightning getting into this and that.  And worse, he will often stand at my legs while I work and cry.  I just cannot do it anymore.  I waited a LONG time for a baby and he deserves my full attention.  My time at home is for Anderson.  When Dave comes home from work, it's family time.  The weekend's are family time.  And any time I may have for myself I want to spend for myself, not working.

So, I have two more weeks of work and then I'm official a stay at home mom.  I am both excited and terrified.  Financially I think we'll be okay.  The thing that frightens me most is the possibility that I could totally become a recluse and never leave the house.  Honestly, I am a terrible friend.  I don't feel comfortable calling people and setting up play dates or asking them to come over.  I'm way too shy for that crap.  :)  And I haven't quite figured out how to keep Anderson and I both entertained this summer.

Are you a stay at home mom or dad?
What are some activities that you and your kids enjoy doing?
How do I get my child out and about and keep him from becoming a recluse too?

I think it will be okay.  I believe we've made the right decision for our family.  It felt like a no-win situation.  I love my job, it affords me great flexibility, but I don't make enough money to put the baby in day care (nor do I want to) and I cannot continue working from home.  My job now is Mom.

Motherhood is Hard

This weeks marks a year since we welcomed our little boy into our lives.  It has been a great year and I love love love the little boy Anderson has become.  But I'm not going to lie, motherhood is hard.

This has been the longest winter of my life, which I'm sure most of you can attest to.  It has been cold and snowy since November and even today we got another dusting of snow.  Good grief.  My days consistent of going to work until 8:30am and then spending the rest of the day stuck inside.  While it is warm inside, I am tearing my hair out with boredom.  What do you do with a baby while stuck inside all day??  I can only watch so many episodes of Sesame Street, Daniel Tiger, and Bubble Guppies.  We have played with every toy he owns and we do it every day.  And there is lots of snuggling.  While we have fun, I'm tired of the monotony.  I want to play outside.  I want to take Anderson to the park.  I want to take family walks.  And I want to take Anderson out in the bike trailer and running in the BOB.

Let's talk about running and motherhood.  It's difficult.  I start work at 6:00am, which means I do not have the luxury of running in the morning while everyone is still asleep.  If I want to run by myself I have to wait until after the husband gets home from work at 6:00pm.  By that point in the day I am exhausted.  I have gotten up early, I have worked, and I have endured the very physical job of motherhood.  Which leaves me the only option of the treadmill.  I love the treadmill, but you can only take so much.  Sometimes I wish I could quit my job and be a stay at home....

...And on the subject of working, ugh!  I work part-time: 2-1/2 hours in the office and an hour and a half at home.  I actually really like going into the office and having some adult interaction, but as I said earlier, I start at 6:00am.  That's just WAY earlier.  No matter what time I go to bed, 5:00am is just painful.  I cannot get used to it and I don't like it.  Working from home is so crazy hard too.  It wasn't so bad when Anderson was a BABY and could sit in the swing and be content.  Now he's mobile and needs entertained.  I usually have to work in little segments while Anderson watches Bubble Guppies or runs around in his walker or hangs out in his bouncy seat.  Almost every week I have to work on the weekend to make up time and frankly, I don't remember the last time I actually got in all my hours.  I am an hourly worker; no work, no pay.  The husband works full time for the same company as me (hence why I work early early hours - so we don't have to put the baby in daycare) and also consults for another company a few hours a week.  He makes good money.  Why do I have to work?  Sometimes I find myself mad or jealous of Dave because he gets to go to work all day.  Does this make me a bad mom?

Don't get me wrong, I love my little bug and I love being a mom.  I waited a LONG time to have a baby and knew what I was getting myself into.  Some days are bad and rough, but most days are absolutely awesome.

Mothers out there, how do you manage motherhood? 
Do you work outside the home? 
Does it get easier as the child gets older? (hahahahaha!)
Whatever possessed you to have more than one child?  (hahahahaha!)

#tbt

Exactly one year ago I was 37 weeks pregnant and big as a COW!!!!  I was uncomfortable and OVER being pregnant.  Now, I only have two weeks until my baby turns one.  I've actually struggled quite a bit knowing he's turning one.  I've shed quite a few tears.  I cannot believe how quickly this year has gone.  It's been a great year, though.  It's been fun to see this little baby, who was like a little alien, develop a personality, learn to play, "talk" a lot, and just all around become a cool little dude.  Being that big cow above was sure worth it.

Foto Friday

We get asked a lot who Anderson looks like.  He's got my eyes. He's got Dave's chin.  He's got my family's ears.  We have no idea how he has darker hair as both Dave and I were blondeblondeblonde as kids.  A lot of time I stare at him and all I see is my mom and my sister.  So, I put together a little picture proof that my kid looks just like my sister.  What do you think?

Anderson at 9 Months

 I cannot believe my baby is already nine months old.  He's been out of my belly as long as he was in it! 

At nine months Anderson is....

• Crawling like it's his job.  Anderson started crawling right before 8 months and he is good at it!  He gets faster every day.
• He is starting to pull himself up to a standing position.  We've seen him doing it four or five times.  He's not exactly stable in a standing position, but I bet he'll be walking before his first birthday.
• He has said "mama" quite a bit and "dada" once but he has no idea what he's saying when he says it. He's said "mama" to me; he's said it while he's eating; he's said it to the TV. I think it means everything. He does "talk" a lot; it just has no meaning.  :)
• He has four teeth - two up and two down.
• He continues to like all foods we've given him as long as they're pureed.  He doesn't exactly like the texture of real food and usually chews and chews it and then winds up spitting it out.
• He's just a happy kid.  He smiles pretty much all the time and laughs a lot (I have a video of this I'll be posting next week).

Happy nine months, kiddo!

Foto Friday

Get ready for a whole slew of pictures this year as (a) I have a totally badass camera and my phone is also always in hand and (b) my kid is cute and loves having his picture taken.

PS - I post lots of pictures on Instagram.  Become my friend: @meredithgordon.

2013 Year in Review

Wow!  What a year it has been!

Obviously my year has been all about him.

  

Anderson came into our lives in March and my life is forever changed for the better.

After the baby was born it was time to get my running groove back.  This proved to be a little harder than I envisioned.  I had and continue to have a hard time losing the last bit of pregnancy weight, which obviously affects my running.  In addition, my c-section hurt for a long time and sometimes still bothers me doing certain core workouts.  I haven't gotten all my speed back but I've certainly had glimpses of my former self in racing this year.  I did 13 races in 2013, anything from a 5K to a marathon.  I did my first and a few more trail races.  I even won a race.  I finished a little shy of my 1000 mile goal at 925, but that's a heck of an effort considering I really didn't start running until May and I endured an injury at the end of the year.

What else?  What else?

I read a lot in 2013.  Sixteen books, in fact.  There were at least two other books I started and did not finish (both about nutrition, funny enough).  Here's the list of the books I did read.

    1. "The Art of Racing" in the Rain by Garth Stein
    2. "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chobsky
    3. "C.C. Pyle's Amazing Foot Race" by Geoff Williams
    4. "Wild" by Cheryl Strayed
    5. "Coraline" by Neil Gaiman
    6. "Sway" by Amber McRee Turner
    7. "Forever" by Judy Blume
    8. "That's Why I'm Here" by Chris Spielman
    9. "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd
    10. "Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?" by Mindy Kaling
    11. "Eleanor and Park" by Rainbow Rowell
    12. "Keep on Running" by Phil Hewitt
    13. "A Life Without Limits" by Chrissie Wellington
    14. "Naked" by David Sedaris
    15. "Don't Put Me in Coach" by Mark Titus
    16. "The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving" by Jonathan Evison 

We traveled quite a bit in 2013.  In fact, Anderson has visited seven states already.  We spent a partial week of vacation in Michigan with my entire family.  We had a great time kayaking, tubing, and boating.   Make sure you click on the link for tons of pictures.  We also went to Hilton Head (where all Ohioans go) for a week with my parents.  We had a great time relaxing at the beach.

Finally, we closed out the year by buying a new house and putting our house up on the market.  Our house is still for sale and we're really praying it will sell quickly as we really don't want to lose out on the other house.  We really, really love the new house and want to be able to make it a home for Anderson.  If you want information on our house for sale or know anyone who wants to move to New Albany, please let a comment with an email address and I'll forward you the information.

Happy New Year internet.  I'm looking forward to a great 2014.

Happy Halloween from the Gordons!

 

Priorities, Perspective, and Good Decisions

Dave did a half ironman back in September.  This race was brutal for him as he wasn't expected the hilliness of the bike course and then it was super hot for the run.  It was an equally unpleasant day for me as spectating this race was pretty boring plus I had to entertain the baby all day in the heat.  And he was too young for sunscreen so I was finding creative ways to keep him out of the sun.

At the end of the race, just at the other end of the finisher's chute, Dave picked up Anderson and held him.  One of the volunteers said, "and just like that, you're back to being dad."

I loved it.

Obviously, my whole world has changed since I had a baby.  And I truly love it.  My world seems more complete, more meaningful, more everything.  Waiting to have a baby until I we (were) was ready was one of the best decisions. 

I love coming home every day from work and seeing his smile.  I love watching him peacefully sleep.  I enjoy feeding him new foods and watching him discover the world.  But mostly I love how he has made everything else in my life less of a big deal.

Running has been meh since I had the baby.  Not good, not bad, just meh.  I've had some surprisingly good results, but I've been fighting injuries and haven't been able to run the way that I use to.  But every run I come home and it's baby time.  No time to dwell on the bad run; no time to bask in the great race.  It's time to be mom.

Jamie and I had a small Twitter conversation about mental health the other day.  I told him I am not ashamed that I needed help for my mental health issues.  I have suffered long enough and started medication in March and it was the best decision I could have made for myself, my baby, my family, my marriage.  I am so much happier now.  Things don't bother me the way that they use to.  I can cope with the stresses of life and having a 6 month old is certainly stressful.

My world has changed and it is so much better. 

He Blinded Me With Science

Confession: Dave and I are big Mythbusters fans. 

We are so lucky to have an amazing science museum in our town, COSI.  We don't go very often but every once in a while there is an exhibition there that we really want to catch.  Last year it was the 3D movie about tornadoes that was filmed during Stormchasers.  Unfortunately, we didn't go and see it.  This summer COSI hosted a Mythbusters exhibit and gosh darn it, we were going!  Luckily, I won tickets through a contest at work, Dave took the afternoon off work, and we spent Thursday at the science museum.

The Mythbusters exhibit was pretty awesome as we got to see the actual props and experiments used in the show.  There were 11 experiments that you could try yourself.  I really sucked at dodging a bullet.  My brick house I built was blown over by the winds.  And I couldn't change into a super-hero in a phone booth under a minute.  We did enjoy the experiment in which the myth was if you getting wetter walking or running in the rain.  Our results were you got wetter by walking.

You can't really see it in the picture.  Dave and Anderson walked through the rain and I ran.  They had more wet spots on them in the black light.

Dave and I did some experiments in the human body exhibit.  We got to measure our resting heart rate, active heart rate, flexibility, and strength.  I absolutely crushed Dave on the active heart rate.  This is why long distance running is a great sport for me!  I also crushed him in the flexibility (I guess those 8 years of gymnastics were good for something).  And I utterly failed on building a nutritious meal.  More on this in the weeks to come.

Another exhibit we did was called "Gadgets" and involved a lot of physics.  Being that we were at the museum late in the day, on a weekday, on a school day meant we practically had the whole place to ourselves.  We basically went wild in the Gadgets area and Anderson loved it.  Admission, I did cry when I watched do the experiments.  

Anderson absolutely loved this.  We might have to get a smaller version for his room.  Our little mad scientist.

Our last stop was the Water exhibit.  Anderson absolutely loves water.  Bath time is actually quite enjoyable for us (minus getting peed on nearly every time).  We let Anderson play and play without letting him get too wet.  And yes, I cried then too.

When Anderson gets bigger we're definitely going to have to get an annual membership and enjoy all the fun stuff more often.  Plus, COSI has programs for kids beginning at 6 months old.  I participated in a Young Scientist program there when I was a kid and learned a lot.  We will most definitely be enrolling him in these programs.  I still have two more free passes to COSI that we are going to use at later date and try more experiments.

Do you have a science center in your town?  Do you watch Mythbusters?  Did you enjoy doing science experiments when you were a kid?  How about now as an adult?