Diapers, JAG School, & Running (7QT)

1. I never really expect to get a lot of page views when I link up with 7 Quick Takes because like a million people link up---because it's the best ever---and I myself only click a link for an ultrasound photo or a cute baby photo of which there are aplenty (I know I am fickle, you guys), BUT post a picture of yourself covered in puke and . . . you'll get a ton of clicks. Guaranteed. Brez Blog goes viral!

No, no one really commented, or subscribed, or wanted to become my friend, but if alls you want is some page views, I share this info with you! 

Here's another bathroom selfie, sans spit up, for good measure:

He loves it.

2. A recent conversation between my husband, who is at JAG School, immersed in continued legal education, and myself, immersed in---ehh---other things:

Me: Oh my gosh, did you get that picture I sent with me covered in puke?

Will: Yeah. Hilarious! So I have this issue for my final trial. Do you think under the Federal Rules of Evidence, I could get in this toxicity report that concludes the accused was likely to have been intoxicated?

Me: Wouldn't it be hearsay? Or maybe speculative? . . . Did I mention Will had a HUGE poop in the bathtub tonight?

Will: Um, yes. What did you think about my sentencing argument? Should I plan on discussing the toxicity report or do you think it will be excluded? 

Me: I don't know, but Will just had the biggest fart, oh my gosh! The biggest fart of his life!

Will: Every fart is the biggest fart of his life.

Me: True.

Two lives diverging. Come home, Will! Not that I'll be able to help you with your specific legal questions, but I will throw some legal jargon at the wall to see what sticks. You never know, it could inspire you and save your mock client from mock prison.

3. Related, yet unrelated: Will loves bath time. Pre-bath dance sesh:

"Too much booty in the pants."

4. I posted the cloth diapering post and I'm already getting some great feedback.

People assure me that a spray plus a rinse is not necessary, making the routine even easier. I already knew this in my heart of hearts, but I'll try it out tomorrow and see how it goes. I've also had two whole friends (hi, Elisabeth and Daija) text me that they are TOTES MCGOATS gonna do cloth when they have bebes (soon, please, both of you) and that gives me warm environmentally-friendly fuzzies. Little Will, in an effort to save me more money and not make a liar out of me, obviously, has pooped through like 57 diapers so far today. All in all, I'll go take my e-victory lap for a blog post well done.

5. I want my blog-friends to know that their blog-solicited advice is not given in vain. I went ahead and ordered this baptismal gown for little Will's baptism that will be on Easter Sunday in front of the whole parish. Closed eyes, head first, can't lose!

Yay, boys in dresses!

Now I just need to see about finding myself a dazzling British hat.

6. Marathon training is underway, if not "officially" until Easter week. Today, of course not really wanting to run, sleep deprivation and all, I went out and ran 3 miles in less than 30 minutes! I'm feeling motivated.

7. Aaaand I discovered today, when going to put in my contact lenses, that I don't have any contact lenses. So I was cruisin' around base in my coke bottles.

Sup.

And I will be doing so for the indefinite future. 

Have a happy weekend.

Cloth Diapering for the Non-Crunchy

And by non-crunchy, I mean lazy. That's what I mean by that.

I never thought I would cloth diaper, but here I am. Whenever I post pics of my babe in cloth diapers (which I do all the time, because there is nothing cuter---besides maybe those pics of babies napping with puppies), I get very intense reactions.

Including:

• "OMG CLOTH DIAPERS!? WHY" - Jennifer
• "Cloth diapers? I'm impressed! I couldn't do it!" - Lisa
• "These things are great - everyone should use these!" - Dad
• "I bow to your cloth diapering ways. #somuchlaundry" - Steph

I'm here to convert all the cloth skeptics. This post is not for my dad both because he loves cloth diapers and he does not read this blog.

When I first contemplated the idea of cloth diapering, I thought maybe I'd do it part-time to save money and be a kind steward to the Earth, if I could swindle someone into purchasing them for us off our baby registry. I added a set of 12 to our Amazon baby registry thinking it was unlikely anyone would buy them for us, but it was worth a shot. My aunt ended up buying us 12 BumGenius Organic Cotton Elementals so I was on my way. I started using them when Will was about three weeks old, and once I started, I was hooked and went and bought 6 more diapers. I occasionally use disposables (when, for example, I don't feel like going downstairs for a diaper or when I get extra lazy with the laundry) and those disposables, they just feel extra icky and flimsy and weird-smelling compared to the cloths. So - for now, we cloth diaper exclusively.  

Now I'm always interested in learning about people's "CD stashes" and their laundry routines, so I thought I'd share mine to show you just how easy it really is. This is one of those times where I look at myself in the mirror and think "Who am I? What have I become?" 

Our Stash/Tools of the Trade

• Diapers: We have 12 BumGenius Elementals and 6 BumGenius Freetimes. I opted for All-in-Ones because they are simple, non-crunchy-caretaker-friendly, contain everything for minimal exposure to fluids, and last from 8 pounds all the way to potty training. They are the most expensive and take longer to air dry than other types of diapers, but I have no problem keeping those frequent newborn poops at bay with a stash of 18 diapers. 

• 2 Wet Bags: I have this Planet Wise bag that hangs in my laundry room. I also have a smaller one that fits in my diaper bag. (Not linking to the brand of the smaller wet bag because I don't recommend it, it leaks---get a Planet Wise one.)

• BumGenius Detergent: I hear you can use Tide powdered detergent just fine, but I figured I'd use BumGenius brand until the 1-year warranty on the diapers expires, just to be safe.

• MicroFleece Diaper Liners: Will has a diaper rash caused my his frequent acidic breast milk poops, and our pedi recommended diaper rash cream during every diaper change. Desitin is the only cream that's worked for us (we've tried every kind sold at the commissary), and "cloth-friendly" creams are notoriously ineffective, not to mention expensive. His rash is almost gone now! HURRAH! 

Desitin and other creams will gunk up cloth diapers, making them less absorbent, so I use fleece liners to protect them (and wash the liners separately). Bummis sells six fleece liners for $5 and this is a frightful rip-off. Instead, take your hard-earned money and go to Walmart or Joanne's, buy a yard of micro-fleece and cut out rectangles. There. You just DIY'd yourself some fleece liners. 

I bought a yard and a half of fleece at Walmart for $9 and here is like a third of its liner yield:

So get those scissors out if you need to use creams or just want to protect your diapers so they last foreverrrrrr! These are also really nice because I have so many, I don't have to wash them as often. Sometimes Always, Will likes to poo during diaper changes and I'll catch them in a fleece liner. No problem - just change them out and it saves the diaper. When he does this in disposables, they have to be thrown away. Moolah in the trash!

Our Routine

• As soon as the diaper comes off (orrrr hours later, let's be real), I bring it down to the laundry room and create a stack of dirties next to the sink. I admit, I don't really use the wet bag for now because breastmilk poops don't really smell. Maybe a little musty. Daisy's breath and my very own feet after a day of traipsing around in Toms smell way worse. Way way worse. Trust me. 

• I will usually have a stack of 12+ to start a load in the morning. I make coffee while the baby naps (I must hurry - this glorious nap could last only 20 minutes!!) and start rinsing the diapers as it's brewing.

• I spray most of the poop off the diapers with cold water in my laundry room sink. Not all of it because this is for lazy people. Some use a diaper sprayer hooked up to their toilet for this. After house training two dogs, baby poop does not scare me, so into the sink it goes. Some also skip this step altogether, as breastfed poops are water soluble. I figure, my sink is right here, might as well give 'em a quick blast. I throw the wet diapers right into the washer which is next to the sink. Minimal touching of my son's fluids (not that he doesn't pee, poop, and spit up on me every day) as the outside of the diapers don't even get wet.

• I throw the fleece liners into the wet bag to wash later. I wash diapers pretty much every day, but only need to wash the liners every few days because I have so many. I wash them separately (same exact way I wash the diapers except they get thrown in the dryer) so that the rash cream doesn't get on the diapers and ruin them.

• I set the diapers on a cold pre-wash. Just a normal cold wash with no detergent. (This step can be skipped if you are rinsing with a sink/diaper sprayer according to Young House Love who also use the BG Elementals.)

• Spray the sink with disinfectant and wipe down with a sponge. Sometimes.

• Feed the dogs begging for breakfast at my feet.

• Wash hands. No, this step is not optional.

• Enjoy coffee, typically with a sweet pastry. Biscotti are my jams lately, but you know I had a cupcake thing going for a few days. 

• When I hear the wash finish (my washer makes a loud clicking noise when the lid unlocks), I throw a scoop of detergent in and wash the diapers on heavy duty/deep clean/hot water with an extra rinse.

Extra rinse feature is clutch. Saves an extra step.

• When this wash finishes, I hang them to dry on pant hangers in front of a fan in the window.

Usually they are up hanging by 10:00AM if I start my routine first thing while the coffee is brewing, freeing up my washer for the rest of the day for all the abundant spit-up laundry. The diapers are usually dry by the late afternoon when I need them. The fan cuts the drying time down by a lot. 

If I'm in a bind, I'll throw some in the dryer on low heat for 15-20 minutes. Again, the Young House Love folks threw theirs in the dryer every time and the diapers are still in great shape for their second kid. I'm hanging mine because I have the time (for now), I want to keep my warranty, and I want them to last forever (who knows if Will and his dozens of future siblings will EVER potty train, ya know? heh). 

• Then, they all get carefully thrown onto the changing table shelf.

Because folding and organizing itty bitty baby clothes and cloth diapers is just not worth it.

There you have it. It takes minimal time and commitment, I promise you. Rinsing and air drying are the two steps that take the longest and those are the two steps that can be skipped. 

The Bottom Line

And now - the savings. These law degrees aren't paying for themselves. We've gotten a lot of diapers gifted to us, and if you can get your cloth diapers gifted to you then you are GOLDEN, because how many diapers do we use per month?

I dunno. A gagillion? (Yes, I track nursing, sleep, and diapers religiously.) I change Will often because he poops often, as directed by his pediatrician to avoid rashes. Since tracking, we've averaged 86 diapers per week with no signs of slowing down. (In fact, I am told it only gets worse from here.) That's over 600 diapers in his illustrious 7 week pooping career.

My diaper stash, including fleece liners, wet bags, and detergent, cost $453.70. (And I told you All-in-Ones are more costly up-front than other cloth diaper systems.) A giant box of 252 Pampers diapers are $45.99 on Amazon. That's the best deal I could find on the Internet for decent diapers that won't spring leaks every which way. I don't think I'd ever buy a box of diapers that big, since he would grow out of them and need a different size, just to spite me, but I'm trying to keep this simple because I don't like math.

If we cloth diaper for two years, that's 112 weeks x 85 (we'll round) diapers per week = 9,520 diapers. That's approximately 37 economy sized boxes of diapers. 37 boxes at 45.99 each = $1,701.63. I know I have a power pooper, so not everyone will save as much money as I will. I do pray he poops less in the future. However, you'll still save a butt-load of money (pun intended, of course) and the savings only multiply as your family does (be fruitful, ya'll!). Not to mention you could start your own little landfill with all those disposables.

But most importantly, above all else, how cute are they?

I rest my case.

Well, That Escalated Quickly

After mulling it over for what seemed like an eternity (okay, so it was like two days), Will and I decided to register for the 2014 Air Force Marathon. Woot! This will be our third marathon together and we hope to make training a family affair with our little one in the BOB stroller.   

I'm kind of tired just thinking about it, but . . . ONWARD!

Here's the training plan:

Oh yeahhh it's entered in a fancy Excel sheet.

Basically I have a month to get my butt in shape to run a 20+ mile week. No pressure or anything. It's funny to look back and see that a year ago, I also decided to start training for a race again. Onllyyyyy, my run pace was 2-minutes per mile faster-ish. And I thought I was way out of shape, then. 

Back to the training deets. It's the same training plan we used when we ran the 2012 Miami Marathon, where we PR'd. (I finished in 4:14:09 and Will finished in 4:07:34, while the previous year---not on this plan---we ran the 2011 A1A Marathon and Will ran a 4:19:08 and I ran a 4:31:47.) I know Will has big plans to break 4 hours. I've heard stories about women having babies and getting faster and I would love to join the club, but---let's be real---I'm just going to be happy to finish. If I finish. Especially when this body is another human's only source of sustenance. (N.B. I've done a ton of research on breastfeeding and exercise and I'm confident that I will more than make up for any calorie deficit that presents itself. I just bought a box of these tiny little sprinkled bakery cookies and ate a couple without realizing they have 120 calories EACH.)

Why am I doing this? Obviously, I like to eat. So I'm doing it for my health. But, surprisingly, mainly my mental health. Running gives me an outlet for all this frustrated, pent up energy that comes with life, especially now that I'm a mom. (A mom! Did I really just say that?) Kind of like why I blog, actually. Not to mention I enjoy having a goal, pushing myself, and offering up each run. I welcome the time where I can just zone out and not think, OR, if I want, I can think, reflect, pray. I do both depending on the day and the amount of caffeine in my bloodstream. Either way, I always feel better afterwards. I mean let's be real - I like having ran more than I like running. After a run, I feel healthier, and happier because of it. That's the bottom line. It helps me be my best.

So please join me in the next 25 weeks of training. Weekly running updates can't be any worse than weekly pregnancy updates, can they? And at least I can't possibly mention poop in a running post! (Please don't go digging in my archives and make a liar out of me.) 

Now I won't be solely blogging about Will. For shame! Here's a gratuitous baby pic, for fear of future mommy guilt:

Chins on chins on chins.

This One Involves Puke . . . Sorry (7QT)

1. I know I keep apologizing for posting about poop, but I am in the throes of early motherhood without anyone around anymore to share the harrowing experiences with. Sometimes it's too good not to share. And sometimes it involves puke.

If that photo doesn't capture the essence of motherhood, I don't know what does.

I know I make it look good.

Dirty. All dirty.

2. Speaking of poop, I'm working on an epic cloth diapering post. I post a lot of pictures on Instagram of diaper-clad baby Brez (e.g., see above), because seriously, what's cuter than a chubby baby in only a diaper? I get a ton of comments from friends and family to the tune of,

• "HOW DO YOU DO IT?" 
• "CLOTH DIAPERS?!?! ARE YOU CRAZY!?" 
• "I wish I had it in me to do cloth! Very impressive!" 

And surprisingly enough, my dad was enamored with all of it on his visit, pledging to start a stash for my sister if she wanted to. Now, I put myself at about a 5 out of 10 on the crunchy scale, and that's pushing it, but I exclusively cloth diaper. I just hate the idea of throwing things away, roughly 15 times a day. That, and I don't even like eating off paper plates, using plastic utensils, etc. Disposable diapers feel the same way to me. Flimsy and icky. That's my personal quirk.

It's a brave new world when you're first learning about it, but once I just bit the bullet and picked out a type of diaper to buy (too many options can be oh so paralyzing) and started doing it - it's so easy. I would like to share my 3+ weeks of cloth diapering (us in the biz, we call it CD-ing) wisdom with you.

3. Early last week, before the major sleep meltdown of 2014, I baked cookies to send to Will at JAG School. Flash forward to now:

Those are the last of the cookies . . . and I just ate them during those first two takes. Sorry, Will.

Anyway. I am NOT an oatmeal raisin cookie fan. Cookies with healthy stuff in them? That is for crunchy people! I am not. But these are delish. My mom made them when she was here and we had all the ingredients leftover so I made more. And ate them. All of them.

The recipe is on the lid of the Quaker Oats oatmeal box, I kid you not. I added a teaspoon of baking powder because my mom told me to. So go make some. And send them to meeeee.

4. Or not. Because I've been spoiled already. Some kind stranger had CUPCAKES delivered TO MY HOUSE this past week. The woman from the local bakery who delivered them told me that the sender specifically asked to be kept anonymous. In this day and age of social media and grandiose public gestures, this is practically unheard of.

I think it's so appropriate that this happened during Lent. Remind anyone of the Ash Wednesday Gospel reading?

"Take care not to perform righteous deeds
in order that people may see them;
otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.
When you give alms,
do not blow a trumpet before you,
as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets
to win the praise of others.
Amen, I say to you,
they have received their reward.
But when you give alms,
do not let your left hand know what your right is doing,
so that your almsgiving may be secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you."

I've been eating them for breakfast with my morning cup of coffee ever since. It made my day for four days straight! (There were four cupcakes in the box.) I would publicly like to say (again) THANK YOU, KIND STRANGER! Your Father who sees in secret will repay you, even if I can't! :)

5. I know I said things got hairy on the sleep front with little Will, but I didn't really explain. Early last week, the night I baked the cookies, actually, Will did not sleep for more than 15 minute increments from the times of 2 in the AM to 6 in the AM. That means I did not sleep for more than 15 minute increments from the times of 2 in the AM to 6 in the AM. I hadn't slept for more than two hours at a time for a few days, and I was a wreck. I'm talking loud, audible sobs that scared the dogs. I do not function well under these circumstances, obviously. I don't think anybody does. At the advice of some other moms, I resolved to be a little more intentional as to the structure of Will's day, and wake him after 3 hours between feedings to get him sleeping better at night. Well, Janine casually mentioned in a random blog post that her daughter was a good sleeper, so I practically begged her to write a sleep tips post. And she did.

Janine recommended Secrets of a Baby Whisperer. I'd heard of this book before, but I'd never heard of E.A.S.Y., but that's exactly what we were doing. I immediately downloaded the book (less than $6 on Amazon) and devoured it in two days. I've been implementing her tips the past few days, mainly working on naps, and Will slept FIVE hours straight last night. I woke up after 4 1/2 uninterrupted hours of sleep to nurse him, and I couldn't fall back asleep, I was so rested even though he went right back down. I don't think I'd slept that long in months thanks to frequent trips to the bathroom when I was pregnant. Even if it was a total fluke and he only does this one day a week, I am a happy happy mama.

6. Take 6. I had my 6 week postpartum checkup Thursday where I got the official all-clear to run. I'd been running for a couple weeks already because I'm a vicious, vicious rebel, but now I can really start pushing it. Or not. Yesterday, feeling all fresh and fancy free I set out with my William and BOB and ran my first sub-10 minute mile! And then I crashed hard at a mile and a half and walked the rest of the way home.

If you are looking for accounts of level-headed injury-free postpartum running, you should probably check out Kallah's blog and ignore any running posts by me. I just wing it and do what I feel. I've never injured myself running beyond common aches and pains, but this is my first time getting back into shape after birthing a human through my hips out of my abdomen, so maybe I should start taking it a little slower? Despite what I just said, I'm really considering signing up for a fall marathon, even though it's a recipe for getting pregnant in my limited experience.

7. Anyone have any suggestions for a running playlist? I have seasoned faves that have the perfect beats per minute for my stride, but listening to the same songs over and over for the past, oh, seven or eight years, can get a little dull. I just added Happy by Pharrell (I don't think I can get sick of this one) and Hey Brother by Aviici (I do think I can get sick of this one), but I'm looking for more newbies!

Have an awesome Saturday! Head over to Jen's blog for more random quick takes.

Eat. Activity. Sleep.

Last week, baby Will got his days and nights mixed up. I was a sleep-deprived wreck, so I've been working on putting this kid into a routine. Eat. Activity. Sleep. Eat. Activity. Sleep. And so it goes. His naps can be pretty unpredictable in length, which basically paralyzes me with fear that I will begin something (like drinking a beautiful, steaming hot cup of coffee) and not be able to finish it because I'll have to abandon whatever I'm doing to try and soothe him back into his nap. That, and Daisy has this frightening new game where she picks up old, hard pieces of excrement from the back yard and plays keep away with them . . . in the house. These creatures, they keep me on my toes, I tell you. These are my excuses for the way my house looks right now at least. I already wrote a whole post about poop, so I'll spare you any more details.

During little man's "activity" time, I try and keep life pretty exciting for him. In other words, I like to dress him up and take pictures of him (though we did mix it up today to find Spot in the basket). I like to tell myself I do it for Will while he's away, so he doesn't miss any sweet moments of our growing boy. But really, I just enjoy it. "I like it. (Wink.) A lot." (Bachelooore finale reference!) I'm slowly coming to terms with that. Mom blogger. I'll just go ahead and embrace the moniker.

So remember when I told you about this piece that hangs in the nursery? My sister-in-law, Rachel, owns a screen printer and printed Will's grandfather's signature on a window pane to hang in baby Will's nursery.

Basically, it was the coolest, most creative, thoughtful gift ever. She's thinking about creating an online shop to sell children's clothes called Bullpin Apparel (and I hope custom art like the one above because holy cow - it's amazing), and she sent us a onesie. (If you don't understand the bull reference, then---shame on you---add Bull Durham to your Netflix queue right now.) I singlehandedly decided that #babybillybrez would model the onesie in an effort to create some buzz around the brand before it launches. My dozen(s) of loyal followers will take this thing right off. Big Momma D, I'm lookin' at you. 

Well, sleep time has expired, which means it's time to eat. I'm sure you'll have photographic evidence of our corresponding "activity" time. If not here, then on my over-worked Instagram page. Just keepin' it real.

One Down, One to Go

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone! One of the reasons I love blogging is that I can easily click back and look at what we did last year for St. Paddy's. I was enjoying the phenomenal Florida weather with an Irish brunch among good friends, including an adult beverage or two on the water. This year, I'm sipping coffee from my Dublin Starbucks mug with nervous wonder regarding whether my 5 week old will stay asleep during his morning nap. (Edit: He will not. So now he's currently asleep on my person, my coffee is all gone, and I would give anything for someone to go fetch me another cup!)

Not complaining. Just need more coffee.

What a difference a year makes, eh?

Will has been away at JAG School now for a month. One month down, one to go. It went by fast, but it still feels like another month is a long time. We've been doing a lot of this:

Ugh. No bueno. 

But last weekend, he rented a car, drove 9 hours to come see us, just to stay for a day and a half, and then drove 9 hours back to Alabama. My hero! The baby happened to wake up to eat at 1:00 AM just minutes before Will arrived like he knew he was coming and wanted to hang out. It was awesome.

Daisy was also pretty excited.

The next morning, Will gave baby Will his first bottle! I was so nervous about this. I researched how much milk I needed to pump, and discovered he should take around 3 ounces, so I pumped 3.5. That fatty sucked down the 3.5 and was still hungry! He ended up taking 5.5 ounces! No wonder he's growing like a weed!

If you look carefully, both dogs' noses are in this photo.
Creepers.

My dad happened to be in town that weekend, too, so it was fun to have all of us together. We ate many a steak because that's how Billy Nolan does it.

William, William, and William.

My dad was hilarious with the baby. I think I've mentioned it before on the blog, but my dad is a 10th child in a family of 11 kids. In typical 10th child fashion, he would shout or clap loudly at the baby to pacify him. Not your typical soothing techniques, but dangit, they worked! You can tell he learned from the best. 

My dad left on Tuesday and ever since, we've been left to our own devices. And as they say, when the cat's away, mom will dress up her baby and take a million photos of him! (I think that's how the saying goes.)

What's the over-under on whether I have a serious problem?

It appears I'm not the only one . . . I thought I had a cute photo shoot idea showing some baby skin, maybe a nip slip or two (!!), but I didn't take into account sequins. Sequins always up the cute factor. You can't compete with that.

My niece, Molly:

Now run off and have a green beer for me! I'll be here snapping photos.

Postpartum Running

Well, well, well. I used to blog about running. Did you know that? If you recently started following along, you would have never known it! Alas, this past Friday, I finally got back on the horse and went for my first run since birthing a baby. I was looking forward to start running again, even during those last weeks of pregnancy, was actually feeling physically up for it after a month of postpartum recovery, and motivated thanks to Lent.

Ahh, but you know, going shopping for "transition" jeans was also a big motivator.

My face says it all.

The size was in the double digits, but they have a real life zipper and they button and they make me feel human again, so . . . I took them home (and maybe I've been wearing them every single day since). It's funny because I feel so skinny and yet none of my pre-pregnancy clothes fit. I guess because I gained 40+ pounds and I've lost 30 of them in a month makes me feel pretty thin. My mind can't wrap around the fact that I have another 10 or 15 to go to be where I was long, long ago. It's all relative in postpartum land!

The following day, at 4 weeks, 2 days postpartum, I hit the running trail in our neighborhood while my dad looked after the bambino. I figured there was no better way to offer up a Lenten run then to go on my first run in months at 3pm on a Friday. Lenten mortification at it's best, ya feel me? On the other hand, it was a cool, sunny day with temps in the 50s. After four years of South Florida running, and all I could think was, "Wow, this is the life! I am not dying of heat stroke!" To top off the joyousness, I didn't even have to worry about getting hit by crazy Florida drivers!

Going into it, I was most worried about (a) my boobs hurting (double down on the sports bras), (b) my lady parts hurting (I haven't exactly been "cleared" for anything --- my discharge papers say "physical activity as tolerated" and I'm a lawyer, so I cling to those words), and (c) my ACL reconstructed knee stiffening up. Anyway, none of these were issues --- the real culprit of the pain was my lower abs! I suppose being stretched wayyyy the heck out by a tiny human will make one's abdomen sore during exercise for a little while, but I was kind of shocked at how quickly they felt sore. My legs felt just fine (relative) despite not running for months, perhaps because they'd been lugging around all that weight for a few months.

I went out with the intention of maybe running a mile, buuuut

ended up running 3! Because I was a super paranoid pregnant person it was the hardest I'd pushed myself during a workout since June. Even though the miles were slow, I was still feeling pretty proud of myself, until the Nike+ app shamed me with this:

I don't even know when I was frequently running 10 milers, I mean I rarely use this app anyway, but whatever. You know where you can stick it, Nike+ app. (If Joaquin Phoenix can fall in love with an operating system, I can hold a grudge against an iPhone app.) I will make my triumphant return to double-digit mile runs (and out of double-digit sized pants). 

Getting out of bed to tend to the baby was pretty tough that night on my knee, lower back, and abs, but once I was up and moving around the next day, I really felt fine. Sore, but in a good way. Even so, the next couple of days, I took it pretty easy, running a quick mile with the dogs (talk about pain to the abs---Daisy and Ace must sniff ALL THE THINGS) and then the following day going for a short mile and a half walk with the baby, dogs, and my dad.

Yesterday I was back at it. It was my first day running with the beloved BOB stroller! I'd been looking forward to this day, I don't know, ever since I found out I was pregnant. 

A selfie, mom, really?

Oh my gosh, was it hard. I locked the front wheel of the BOB (as per the safety instructions) and went on the ~2.75 mile running path in my neighborhood. Well, the path winds quite a bit, and I was having trouble steering. My solution: tense up my entire upper body to handle the curves of the trail. I had this to show for it . . . 

Almost a minute slower and a mile less than my first run without the baby. My chest, arms, wrists, and even my fingers are so sore today. After consulting my BOB-running connoisseurs (Sarah and Kallah) I decided that next time I probably won't need to lock the front wheel, only crazy people do that. 

I'm so looking forward to our next run together and possibly signing up for a race (???). Baby Will has his eye on a marathon.

Just one of them, though.