We're moving!

But only around the block. The new place will be a little big and a lot cheaper rent so that's good. I'm not looking forward to the move, but since this is the most notice we've ever had that we were going to move I have actually been able to pack quite a bit in a somewhat organized manner.

Tomorrow we will get the keys to the place, but it's a day earlier than we expected so we won't have the moving truck until late in the afternoon or Friday morning.

Wish us luck. Especially Jeff's back since he's going to be doing all the heavy lifting!

She's starting to walk.

And it is freaking me out.

Elea has started to prefer getting around 2 legs over 2 legs and 2 hands as much as possible. She still needs to use one of the couches, or the baby gate, or the dresser, or her toy stroller to balance, but she's getting quicker everyday. When she started walking with the stroller she stiff-legged it like Frankenstein, but not anymore. It really hit me how big she is getting when she stood up using the wall for balance, and then walked along the wall until she got to a doorway earlier today.

It looks pretty funny because she is still so little and short. But she'll be 10 months old in a week so I guess that isn't super early to be walking.

1st Triathlon!

Today I completed my first triathlon. So now I've officially progressed from someone "training for a triathlon" to a "triathlete." Maybe not a fabulous triathlete but a triathlete just the same.

So they had us line up around the pool and then as one swimmer finished the 400 yds, the next person would run down to that lane and start. The good thing about that is I was able to run to the bathroom 4 maybe 5 times without having to worry about missing my heat or turn or whatever. The downside is that you don't really have anyone to compete against since you don't start at the same time as anyone else. I was really glad to have a couple of friends from Cedar there who were competing as well. It was good for me to have a distraction of talking to them for the 45+ minutes we waited in line for our turn. I hadn't been that nervous since my last high school swim meet. So anyway, it's my turn and so I start the swim, totally paranoid because Jeff said that he was going to record it. So I get down to the end of the lane, completely misjudge, flipturn too soon and instead of pushing off the wall, totally miss it and basically stop still in the water. Awesome. The rest of the swim went okay, I atleast remembered what lap I was on- which may have been a first. After the swim I got out of the pool and headed outside. I'd like to say that I hopped out but there definitely wasn't any hopping going on. My legs were a lot shakier than I expected.

I made my way to the the bike racks and was lucky enough to have my bike on the end of one of the racks so I was able to find it easily. I think my transition was pretty slow-- I don't know that I have ever, in my life, put socks on wet feet. Ever. Didn't realize it would complicate things. So then I got on the bike. I've seen video of tiathletes who run and then throw their leg over the bike mid stride and off they go, clipping their shoes in as they go. Today I had more of a standing-still . . . lift-right-leg-over . . . attempt-to-clip-shoe-in . . . miss . . . hop-on-left-leg . . . attempt-to-clip-in-again . . . and then push off approach. And my legs were dead. I never realized how much warming up helps things. For me, not warming up before any of the legs of the race will probably be one of my greatest challenges to overcome. I've been spoiled- always able to go at a leisurely pace before really pushing it. As I was saying, the first while on the bike was pretty rough, but after 2 miles or so it started to feel a lot better and I was able to go a lot faster. The course was 2, 5 miles laps, with a couple hills. My favorite part of the bike leg was watching the other bikers coming in the opposite direction-- some would have huge grins on their faces because they were having so much fun they couldn't help themselves, while others were gritting their teeth and just FOCUSED. Anyway, after the 10 miles were over I got off my bike and took it back to the bike racks. Some people were running with their bikes-- yeah not me.

Then the run. My time was okay for me. Definitely going to have to suck it up and start working a lot more on my run speed and endurance. It was 2 laps on a path-- a total of 3 miles. If I said I ran the whole thing straight through I'd be lying. The first lap I could HEAR the water sloshing around in my stomach and my side was killing me- next time no water on the bike. And next time I am definitely wearing earphones because A) I can listen to music and B) I won't hear the panting and footsteps (footshtomps footshtomps) of the runner who is quickly approaching from behind and about to pass me. Again.

I finally crossed the finish line 1 hour, 27 minutes and some odd seconds later.*

Jeff has been awesome. First, last night he slept on the couch at his parent's house because I never get much sleep when we try to sleep in a queen bed together. (The triathlon was in St. George so we spent the night). Second, he woke up at 6:30 a.m. to drive me down to the pool. Third, as soon as I realized that I had forgotten my goggles he rushed to get ready and bring them to me . . and there are about a hundred other reasons. It still feels awkward for me to have him watching and me participating. But at the same time he is a great "cheerer." However, I'll be really glad when he starts doing triathlons with me even if it means that I lose my fan base of one. Unless on his first try he totally beats me by like 10 minutes. Then maybe I won't be so thrilled about us choosing a life sport to do together! Just kidding. Kind of.

Anyway, Jeff took quite a few pictures-- but I have yet to go through and censor them on behalf of my progeny. So I may or may not post them later.

*Ang, if you're wondering, yes, I did beat Spencer, by 2 minutes. Woot Woot.

Elea Dancin' Video

Elea has been crawling pretty well for awhile now. Now she likes to crawl everywhere. She's getting pretty quick too. We bought her a few "big kid" toys that she can stand up to and push. Don't ask me why we're encouraging her to walk!

She turned 9 months old on April 13th. She weighed 17 lbs 11 ounces (35th percentile) and is 26 inches long (25th percentile).

She still isn't a fan of anything dry or with a grainy texture. I got my hopes up today when all 4 of the yogurt melts I put on her high chair tray were gone and I couldn't see them on the floor. I even searched her lap and so I thought that she ate them. But nope- when I picked her up they were sitting on the high chair seat cushion- not even a nibble.

Elea just started "dancing" this week. It's hilarious. I love it. She gets her moves from her dad, I'm sure.

. . . and another plan bites the dust.

Jeff isn't going to be a teacher anymore.

Surprised? Anyone?

He started assistant coaching baseball a few weeks ago and I sort of lost my mind about the schedule. Whether it was miscommunication or pure denial or something in-between, I do not know. But what I thought was going to be just games on friday early afternoons and maybe one occasional game during the week is actually games every tuesday, friday, and saturday with a thursday game thrown in here and there. Awesome.

That led to a discussion about coaching as a career in general and time spent away from our family and our kid's activities in the future because he'd be busy with other people's kids. At the same time, Jeff had started looking at the state requirements to get a biology or chemistry endorsement because P.E. teaching positions are few and far between.

So after working a graveyard shift about 2 weeks ago, Jeff came home having decided to go to Physical Therapy School. I am thrilled. He realized that the pre-requisites to get into a Physical Therapy program are very similar to a science endorsement so that's not a big deal. And the more he thought about coaching/teaching the less appealing it became as a career because of the sacrifices he'd have to make on the family level.

He'll apply to physical therapy programs in August and then will start somewhere Summer/Fall 2010. It's a 3 year doctorate program. We're going to cast the application net far and wide and see what happens. I'm excited for him. I know he will be a great physical therapist someday- he already helped my brother when other physical therapists couldn't- and that was just with what he learned in his exercise physiology courses. I also think that day to day he will be more challenged and get to work with people one on one. It was at a physical therapists office that I learned to walk again and regained use of my right arm after our car accident in 94 so I have a lot of respect for the work that they do.

So yay for more school. And yay for moving at least 2 more times in the next 4 years!

Home again.

Elea and I flew home from Omaha yesterday. A nice lady who was returning home after visiting her 10 month old grandson sat next to me in the terminal and then on the plane. That turned out to be a great help because she offered to fill up her bottle, and didn't mind it when Elea started to grab at her buttons, etc. I think people who are willing to risk sitting next to a baby on a plane should get double the good karma points. The flight was okay even though Elea only slept about a half hour. She seemed to enjoy the turbulence almost as much as she enjoyed tearing up the skymall magazine.

I was totally exhausted by the time the plane landed. And it felt like the bones on the front of my face were about to explode. How I have managed to catch 3 colds in 3 months I can't quite figure out. SO annoying. Jeff came to pick me up from the airport since his dad drove me down when we left. Before I could get to him by the baggage claim Elea threw up all over. I managed to catch most of it in my hand- again, thank goodness for the seasoned grandma who was willing to get the wet wipes out of my bag so that I could clean us up. Otherwise, I don't know how I would have held Elea in one arm, a handful of puke in the other, and gotten to the wet wipes in the backpack on my back. Probably I would have just sat down and cried for a few minutes. But I would be lying if I said that I wasn't proud of my increased tolerance for all things disgusting and mucus/vomit related-- 8 months ago, Elea wouldn't have been the only one throwing up. Needless to say when I finally made it to baggage claim I was very happy to see Jeff (and very relieved that I wasn't going to have to manuever getting my bag off the luggage carousel while holding Elea)!

Anyway, Elea was zonked by the time we got home and this morning when she woke up she was looking around sort of confused. But I pulled out her toys and she's managed to hurt herself twice on the drawers in the family room already so I think she's figured out that she is home. She's pulling herself up on anything she can get her hands on now- which she wasn't doing 10 days ago, so I am going to be baby proofing starting immediately. Whooppeee!

Visiting Omaha.

Jeff had baseball tournaments last weekend and this weekend so he sent me and Elea to Omaha to visit my sister. Smart move on his part because otherwise he'd have to deal with me complaining about him being gone so much coaching!

A week or so ago Elea cut her first tooth. And then the next day the one right next to it. They are the two bottom center teeth. They're coming in pretty fast- very cute. Too bad that she can't handle anything with any sort of texture or substance to it without throwing up all over otherwise she could actually use them.

Today was her first trip to the zoo. Unfortunately it wasn't my best "mommy" day because when we were leaving I realized that my camera battery was dead. Whoops.

I have discovered that she sleeps magnificently in a really dark room. Tricia, I don't know how many times you suggested that and I didn't think it would make a big difference, so I never tried to black it out completely. The first thing I am going to do when I get home is cover her window (as classily as possible) with tin foil! I am a big fan of one 2-3 hour nap a day. Big fan.

Here are some pictures of Elea and her untwin Lexi (Angie's little girl who is about 6 weeks younger than Elea).