On the run

I have attempted to lose this baby weight a couple of times now and it keeps coming back. This is no doubt due to the fact that I quit working at it each time. I got a real good jump start right after the babies were born, losing over 40 pounds. I only had less than 20 to go, from that point. But I didn't work at it. Heck, taking care of four kids was about all I could do. Then the weight started coming back. Before I knew it, I was only 20 pounds from my highest pregnancy weight, and I didn't have the excuse of being pregnant. So I joined the Y and started working out. It was working great for a little over a month. I dropped that extra weight again and I really felt good. The kids got to play in the kids' area and the babies went to the nursery. Then I had a minor setback - the Snot Monster. The rules at the Y are if your kid has anything but clear coming from his nose, don't bring them. Well, as we have learned, when Morgan teethes, she get nasty green boogies. And her nose runs...constantly. She doesn't have a cold, she is not contagious, but her boogies are green and her nose needs wiping a lot. It's not fair for me to ask the staff at the Y to make an exception for my kid, so we stayed home for about a month.

When the teeth had cut and I felt we were all clear, I went back. I was determined to exercise and the big kids missed the cool play place. This time, when I dropped Megan off, she cried. After a month at home, I guess she didn't remember the place. It always hurts your heart to hear your baby cry. And the look in their eyes as they watch you leave is painful. It is common for babies at about 9 months of age to start experiencing some separation anxiety. Well, Megan had it in full force. The staff at the Y is real good about trying to calm the babies down. They will let the baby cry (and attempt to calm them down) for 10 minutes. After that, they page the parent and request that you come back to the nursery and calm our child down. You are allowed to leave the baby again and continue your workout. If the baby continues to cry, they again attempt to calm down for another 10 minutes. If the staff have to page you a second time, they ask that you remove the child from the childcare for the day and try again another time. That's fair, right? I'm okay with that. It's hard to hear my baby cry, but the staff isn't just letting her sit there and cry. They tried to calm her down. They held her, bounced her, rocked her, put her in different apparatuses (bouncy chair, exersaucer, swing, high chair, jumperoo). They even walked Megan around the gym trying to soothe her.

Unfortunately Megan did not want to be left with anyone except Mommy. We tried again the next day, same deal. We gave it break for a day and tried again. No go. That was in March. In late March we started the physical therapy (PT) for Morgan and I could not bring siblings. I HAD to get a sitter for Mason, Maggie, and Megan. My neighbor Christa, was willing to take on my bunch for a couple of hours twice a week so I could take Morgan to PT. This is truly been a blessing for me. My big kids know Christa and her kids well, we were in MOMS Club together, so they are real comfortable. And Christa a 4-kid mom herself with her youngest only a couple of weeks younger than the twins, so I am comfortable leaving my baby in her care. Megan on the other hand, still have the separation anxiety issue. But this time, there was no 10-minute rule.

The first couple of days were terrible. Christa said Megan would cry the entire 2 hours I was gone. But she would do her best to comfort and soothe. It did get better with the crying stopping sooner and sooner. Christa was even able to get Megan to nap! It's been 4 months of PT and Megan is fine going to Christa's now. She still fusses a bit when I drop her off, but from what I hear, that only lasts about a minute or two.

Wow, got real side-tracked there. Back to the whole reason I bring this up, my weight loss journey. I am venturing down yet another avenue to loose this darn weight. I have started to walk/jog. I also signed up with a running training program, Round Rock Fit. It is a training program for walkers and runners designed with the goal of completing the Austin half or full marathon in mind. MY GOAL is to walk/jog the Austin half marathon. If I just finish, I'll be pleased. So the training program starts on August 22nd. I'll be training with a group every Saturday morning. I'm excited! The weekend before, there is a 5K run here in Round Rock, the 5K for Clay. I have registered for this 5K and again, my goal is to just finish. (People, I don't exercise. I chase 2 toddlers and play with my 2 big kids all day. It's been a long time since I ran one mile, let alone 3.) I have a few friends that are planning on doing the Round Rock Fit with me and some have even signed up for the 5K for Clay too.

This is a new adventure for me and I am excited. It also helps that I don;t have to worry about childcare. Matt is home on Saturdays and I should be done training before anyone of them even get out of bed on Saturdays. I will be running during the week too on my own. I started that this week. I've gotten up and out of the house by 6:30am. WOW! I haven't had to get up that early on a regular basis in over 5 years. But it's all good. Since Mason starts school next month (that's a whole 'nother post) we'll all have to be getting up early anyway. So this is just me getting a head start.

So here's to my new adventure!