fidean.net

well, we just got back from my first half marathon - the nerstrand big woods run 1/2 marathon (http://www.raceberryjam.com/nerstrand.html). i felt like i did really well, considering this was my first half marathon, it was a trail run, and it was really cold out.

we got up at 5:30 so that we could check the weather conditions. snow and freezing rain were forcast, so we needed to see if the world was coated in ice. luckily, it wasn’t, so we proceeded to make breakfast and get the girls up. then we drove to faribault, mn, which is about an hour away. got to the race start in plenty of time.

this was actually a TRAIL run and it was BEAUTIFUL! even with the cruddy weather, it was still a lovely place to spend a saturday morning. 2 miles were on asphalt, 1 mile was on asphalt/crushed limestone road, but the rest was on trails. the trails were wet and muddy from the rain the night before, covered in slick leaves. many people wiped out and a few had to drop out of the 10k and 1/2 marathon due to injuries. many sections of the trail were quite rocky. the race bragged ‘aggressive hills’ and sure enough - hills! i slowed to a walk on a couple of them because they were either slick, rocky, or (yippe!) BOTH! the course would have just been more beautiful if the weather had been warmer and drier, but as it was - still beautiful!

my windbreaker and fleece vest were on almost the whole time. many people had advised getting a cheap sweatshirt, hat, gloves, and a leaf bag (really!) and then dropping them at the first or second water station. while i took this advise seriously, i’m glad i decided to bring the windbreaker. i would have frozen in the last 45 minutes had i not had layers to put back on. the sun was out when the race started, but when it went back behind the clouds, the wind picked up and it was COLD. i was happy to have my new water pack from rei (thanks, john!), since i could easily stash all the layers in there during the few miles when it was warm.

the last mile or two were the hardest, since i was getting cold and was tired out from all the hills, but i pushed on. finally, i could se the church where the race would end. when i got there, ella chased me to the finish line!

afterwards, i had a slice of apple - which was the best apple i had ever tasted, EVER! then i did a little stretching. put back on all the fleece layers i had worn before the race.. the church that hosts the race made soup and sandwiches for all the runners. so, we had some baked goodies, soup, pb&j, etc.

ps. for those who are interested…i have been liberated! my heart rate monitor strap BROKE just before the race. i did the whole race on perceived level of exertion! i have an extra strap at home i can use while i wait for timex to replace the other one. my ability to judge my own pace and exertion is obviously much more developed that i would have given myself credit for. lap data: start to mile 3 32.11 (10.7); mile 3 to mile 6 26.40 (8.89) WOO HOO!; mile 6 to mile 9 36.12 (12) hello hills!; mile 9 to mile 12 35.30 (11.8) yes, more hills; mile 12 to finish 12:15 (11.1). finish time: 2:22.48

well, she’s one! she has grown up so fast. at the moment, she is playing with ella’s leap pad…and ella is playing with fi’s leap pad . who knew.

fi just had her 1 year well baby appointment and is growing like a weed. at her 6 month appointment she was in the 50th percentile for height and weight. now she is in the 75th and 77th! seems to me that she eats like a bird, so it was good to know that she is growing so well. here are a few of the things fi is doing or enjoying at age one:

talking: fi is saying more and more words. of course, most are only intelligible to her parents and sister, but are one year old’s words none the less! dada has been in her vocabulary since about age 3 months. newer words include mama, nana (for mama and for milk), ah-wa (ella), wa-wa (water), chase (for chase!), abbew (apple), dog (dog), etc.

playing: her favorite games are chase (and she’s good at it! crawling, climbing, or running away while pushing the wee shopping cart), peek-a-boo, and hide and seek (which she and ella like to play together). she also loves playing squirmy wormy while getting her diaper changed!

walking: she has taken several steps on her own many times, but still prefers to either crawl or use ella’s play shopping cart to walk (or run) laps around the house. she’s very good at standing up on her own without support or pulling herself up on something - she goes straight from sitting to standing and back again, and has also gotten very good at squatting (which will be a handy skill on camping trips!).

dancing!: fi LOVES to dance. she is very musical and can really when the right song moves her. if she hears something she likes, she stand up from sitting and start dancing. her current favorite is ‘pa pa pa palavas’ from ‘the triplets of belleville’ soundtrack. she also likes making her own music on the xylophone and guitar.

being outside: she’s a lot like her sister and parents. in her first year, she’s been to state parks in nevada, wisconsin, and eight in minnesota (earning her first passport badge). she also likes swinging and playing on the playground her grandpa connell got her. she and her sister have spent a lot of time in the jogging stroller and burley this summer and managed to have a good time with only minor sibling squabbles (which is to be expected in such cramped quarters).

i’m probably overlooking something, so maybe bill can add in some things.

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Bill chiming in here - It’s probably the distortion of time, but Fi seems to be doing things earlier than her sister (not to take anything away from Ella). She’s drinking out of regular cups, she loves to page through books, seeks out the LeapPad to play with it.

Fiona also has one of the greatest all-time baby laughs; a rich bubbling stew of delight. She’s more ticklish than her sister was early on, but just like Ella laughs best at things that simply delight her. She loves her big sister, and they have amazing times together making each other laugh and cuddling up. Fiona is very attached to her mom, of course, but will also seek out me or Ella when she misses us or wants to give us a big sloppy kiss.

Fi will be walking nonstop almost any day now, she’s completely feeding herself and drinking from sippy cups without help. It’s incredible to think about how much she has learned in a year, and it’s hard to believe it’s already been that long since we met her for the first time.

It’s been a busy couple of weeks with party after party. First, it was a party in the park for Autumn’s birthday, where we had a potluck with the yellowjackets, lots of good friends bringing food, and Autumn got to have a rare solo ride on her new fast bike (molto veloce, mama!).

Then, we had a little birthday celebration for Fiona at home and a nice family dinner out at Andy’s Garage, which has become our dinner spot for the kids birthdays. Fiona got her first inflatable pink flamingo, and we had a great time. Today we had the big birthday party for her, with lots of her and Ella’s friends over for a lunch party at home. Fiona got very excited when she was in the high chair and everyone started singing Happy Birthday to her, she knew it was a special day. She treated us to a couple of steps on her own, followed up by several laps around the house pushing the little plastic shopping cart. It was a chilly day, but lots of fun and we’re all a little worn out.

The cold, clear morning today was also appropriate since it’s our 5th wedding anniversary, echoing the weather we had for the outside ceremony that day. That also makes it almost exactly 7 years since we met; it’s amazing how time flies when you’re having fun.