Back to the old grind

I went back to work today.  It was easy and hard all at the same time.  I didn't do the drop off which made things a lot easier on me.  I drove to work happily drinking my mug of tea as I have done countless times over the years.  I got to work earlier than I usually do thanks to the 5 am wake up call from my little friend.  I had also made the effort to get my clothes out and my lunch ready the night before so I would have less to do come morning.  Made for a rather relaxed morning getting ready for our new adventure.

In short, I survived and Grayson enjoyed his first time at daycare.  I felt like I had never left and also like therapist on her first day.  I was welcomed back by my residents and fellow coworkers as I made my way around the building.  It was nice to know that I had been missed.  Made me feel better and less guilty about going back to work.  Sure I missed my little man, but at the end of the day I was so excited to go get him.

And then we came home.  After some serious fussy time, we took a walk and then settled in for the evening.  Tomorrow is day 2.

Back to the mundane

The excitement of Friday is over and it's back to the way life is supposed to be in New England.  Yesterday was a hurry up and wait sort of news day.  You couldn't escape the media coverage of the hunt for the second terror suspect since it was on from well before sun up to after sundown.  And thankfully just after the sunset it came to an end.

Scout figures she can assist in pressing the clothes...

We had a taste of warmer weather, but it was eerily overcast.  The weather seemed to reflect the gloomy mood we hearty New Englanders had been feeling all week.  I have been slacking in the past week with my runs.  No excuses, just slacking.  I return to work next week after a 12 week maternity leave and it will be time to alter my routine once more.  I will be packing lunches and a diaper bag in the evening so the three of us can get out the door in a timely fashion come morning.  Cleaning will be done in spurts around exercising and cooking dinners.  Hopefully I can keep up with the laundry because that little person who now shares our home wears a lot of clothes!  And who knows when I will be able to squeeze in a few minutes of knitting.

I spent the morning cleaning out bathroom cupboards and drawers.  I felt like I was dealing with a hoarder...and I was, but it just happens the hoarder and me are one and the same.  I just acquire too much stuff and am not really good about purging.  If it is out of my sight then it is out of my list of top priorities.  I also put the pack and play away because Grayson hasn't slept in it in over a month.  And now it is safe to brag that he is also sleeping through the night.

Now if you will excuse me, I have a few minutes to knit a round or two....

What a week of events...

I had a post already to publish on Monday about the mundane things going through my mind as I watched the Boston Marathon.  It was a beautiful day here in New England with the sun shining brightly.  I wrote about my need for routines and my last week at home with Grayson.  I usually wait to late afternoon or evening to publish my blog and Monday was no different.  As I was heading up to Concord to take Grayson to the doctors.  He is fine, just has some exzema that we need to get under control before he starts daycare next week.

Then I got an alert from our local news station that two bombs had gone off at the finish line of the marathon.  What??  And I have been glued to the news this week.  And then this morning it is all coming to a head.  One suspect is dead and another is on the run.

My question is how can someone hate so much?  How can you come to another country and decide to rain terror down on its citizens?  This is a free country and if you don't like it then just leave.  There is nothing forcing you to stay here.  I am perplexed and saddened to know there are people who hate my country and can come here to do evil deeds.  If you hate us, stay away!

My heart goes out to all those effected by this heinous crime.  And here is hoping for a safe end for the public safety officers of Boston, Massachusetts and beyond that are working to bring justice to the people of the United States.

Damn dogs...

Took Grayson for a walk on our rest day this past week.  We had made it just about 3/4 of a mile from our little house on the hill when a neighbor's beagle started barking at us.  No bid deal because if he is outside he will bark at us.  I noticed he wasn't tied up, but he is also pretty harmless.  The dog owner yelled hello for her doorway and we kept walking.  We got about ten more feet when her other dog came from out of nowhere and started to attack Scout.  Now Scout is leashed and the leash was attached to the jogging stroller.  My dog when leashed feels very threatened when another dog comes running at her and she feels she has no escape.  She started running around my legs and the stroller trying to unsuccessfully get away.  The owner came running out trying to get control of her dog.  Meanwhile someone comes driving by in an older Lincoln town car and he is beeping at me because he can't get around the scene unfolding in the middle of our dirt road.  Hello, he could clearly see that we were under attack!  I was yelling, the dogs were snarling and growling, and the other dog owner was running.  He should have been able to see that I was in no position to move to the side of the road so he could be on his way.  I was trying to make sure the stroller didn't get tipped over in the mayhem of two dogs fighting at my feet.  Finally the neighbor was able to get her unrestrained dog under control.  She was profusely apologizing saying this will not happen again and how her grandson must have left the dog out.

I waited for John to get home on Wednesday evening before we went for our run.  My allergies had been kicking my butt all day and I was feeling quite sluggish.  But off we went for a three mile run around the Parade.  It's an out and back for us that is almost all downhill on the way out and uphill on the way back home.  So feeling not up to par we were walking back up one of the hills when I hear the same beagle from the day before barking and baying at us, but it was coming from the other side of the road.  And it was followed by the corgi who had attacked Scout the day before and he was hellbent on doing it again.  John grabbed Scout's leash from me and I took Grayson's stroller.  John was able to run the dog off rather quickly, but he was able to witness firsthand what had happened to us the day before.

And if that wasn't enough.  The story has a backstory because back this winter during my initial recovery Grayson, Scout and I would get out on nicer days to get some fresh air and some much needed exercise.  We had been attacked by these two dogs in addition by dogs at two other houses.  I was royally pissed and decided to report these unrestrained beasts to our animal control officer.  I mean here I am walking on slippery roads carrying a newborn and walking my dog.  The ACO talked to each dog owner (one happens to be a selectman) and assured me they would keep their animals restrained.  It happens to be a state law that your dog can't run free.

Fast forward a month and the selectman's dogs are running loose and are back on the attack.  And to say I am done is a bit of an understatement.  I figure she gets one more chance and I don't really know why I am being nice about it before I call the police again.  I mean she is putting me, my dog and the baby at risk of being injured by her obnoxious animals.

It's frustrating to say the least...simple solution is just don't be lazy and put your animals on their runs. Follow the laws!  It's not a question of being above the law, just being too dumb to follow it.  And the joys of living in a small town continue.

Tracking mileage

I am the type of person who likes to see stats and progress through numbers.  I made some crazy resolutions at the beginning of the year regarding mileage for 2013 and since I was finally given the go ahead from my doctor I have completed 45.7 miles as of Monday.  And right now my legs are tired!  But I will keep on...

With that said, I am waiting patiently for the sun to come out so we can hit the road this afternoon.  We had some showers and a thunderstorm go through in the early hours this morning and it would be nice if it got a little drier before we go.  More for the dog than me.  Today is a non running day for us.   We will run tomorrow afternoon.

As for knitting, I have temporarily lost my mojo.  It happens and I would guess that in a week or two it will be back.  I will probably look back on my maternity leave and wonder why I didn't do more crafting.  To be honest, this happens every year as the weather warms up.  Who wants to be making wool socks when outdoor activities are calling?  Certainly not me...I have spring fever even if the weather has not fully cooperated.  Our temps have been slightly below average, but we went through a dry spell over the last week. The fire danger rose and the snow melted.  Hard to believe that we had record snowfall in February and March.

Well that was fun...

Sunday was bright and clear when I got up, but it soon clouded over and a breeze picked up.  It was one of those days when you can't decided whether you want short sleeves or do you layer.  I left the house wearing a thermal layer under a t shirt...all wicking layers.  And I threw a sweatshirt over it all for good measure.  By the time we finally got to the race course I had stripped off the sweatshirt and was debating on losing the long sleeve thermal layer.  Ultimately I took the long sleeve off only to put it back on at the last minute.  Wise decision on my part because my sleeve later became my nose wiping device as we ran into the wind.

I finished the moderately hilly course in 34:58.  Way off from my PR of two years ago...by almost 8 minutes, but not bad for someone who really hasn't run since last summer.  That and having a c section 10 weeks ago didn't really help my cause.  But it felt good to be out there with Megan.  We were able to get one of the last three parking spots at the high school where registration and number pick up take place.  I was able to pump 45 minutes before the race and that made the girls feel good enough under their double reinforcement of sports bras.

I feel great this morning and have already signed up for the Seacoast Series...the swag is better than the Capital Area Race Series.  And the races are spread out between May and October.  We will start the series on May 26 with the Redhook 5k after skipping the first race to participate in another local race.  The better part is they are all stroller friendly.  John is going to run with us so I won't have to worry about always pushing Grayson.  I figure when I do push him, I will burn a few more calories.  Today is our first run on the roads at home...I have been debating just walking the dirt sections to keep thr bouncing to a minimum and I will stick to running the pavement, but seriously in this town of incredibly poorly maintained roads it really doesn't make a difference between the paved and dirt roads.  There I said it...our roads suck here.

Now I just have to wait for my baby to wake up and my husband to get home so we can hit road.  I was going to say dusty trail, but our roads are muddy and filled with holes.

Hints of spring

I noticed the other day that my crocuses are up and my daffodils are starting to make their appearance.  All signs that winter is finally coming to a close here in New Hampshire.  We have had some nice wam days and then like the flick of a switch a cold blast will hit us.  Last night the winds howled and rocked our little house up on the hill all night long.  The day dawned cold and bright.  I would know since I got to witness the sun rise as it peaked through trees.  Sleeping in...what is that?  Grayson is an early riser and while he usually manages to fall back asleep in his swing by the fire, I find that I am up for the day.  I manage a cup of tea and some knitting while he gets in another hour.  I know they say sleep when he sleeps, but my body says otherwise.  I, too, am a morning person and a lack of sleep does not seem to change that.

Grayson is now ten weeks old and his night pattern has not changed since the day he was born.  He likes his schedule just like his mom does.  I just hope he is abit closer to sleeping through the night when I finally head back to work in a couple of weeks.  And he is developing quite the little personality.  He loves to talk to us and the smiles are aplenty.

Tomorrow is my first road race of the season.  It better be a little less windy come morning.  If there is one condition I hate running in its wind.  I always feel like I have to work harder and it just makes for a miserable time.  Will give a report on how it goes. It is just a 5k, but one has to start somewhere.

Back to winter??

So John and I brought our running stroller home from my parents' house over the weekend.  It was our goal to rig it up so our little guy can ride safely while we get back to running together.  I took the car seat bundle me that we never used in the car seat and put it in the stroller.  Since our stroller also reclines, I set it back as far as it can go and with the bundle me in place Grayson is secure without a lot of movement.  The bouncing around he does do is less than when we carry him in the Ergo or when he is being bounced to sleep.

We took it for it's maiden voyage on Sunday morning and it did well on our muddy roads.  Monday dawned overcast, but relatively warm for a change.  I knew from weather reports that conditions were going to rapidly deteriorate in the afternoon as a secondary cold front passed through so I got my baby ready and off we went.  I didn't run with him, but walked at a good pace.  I am happy to report that all went off without incident and we made it back to the house after a good hour of exercise.  Even the dog appeared to mildly enjoy herself even though she was tied to the stroller and had to learn real fast that she cannot walk in front of the wheel.  It will run you over if you slow

Now here I am on Tuesday morning and it's like winter is back.  Brrr was it cold taking the trash out and the wind has been steadily howling since about ten last night.  I decided yesterday that today would be a stay in and clean the house day.  Tonight I am going to take the little boy to meet my knitting ladies whom I have not seen since December.

Hopefully the weather will warm again as we get later in the week and we can get some more adventures out with the stroller.  I only have a few weeks before I go back to work and getting out to enjoy the early spring is high on my list for this time with my baby.