Prunes anyone?

We fed Spencer real food for the first time yesterday and then again today.  It was awesome.  He has been diving after anything we're eating for weeks now, so I thought it was about time he tried some of his own.  All I had to mix the baby cereal with was prune juice that he utterly refused to drink when we bought it a while ago.  Turns out if you mix it in cereal, it's a complete winner.  What fun!  I didn't get any pics today but here's a few from yesterday's first foray into the world of solid food. Oh, and it is very important to stick out your tongue while feeding a baby.  It makes it go better. :)

Hi, my name is Spencer and I have food all over my face

This eating is a serious matter!

I told Bill to smile.  This was what he did

First time in 10 months

I kept my promise to myself and went running tonight!  I've put it off for two weeks, but it turned out that it felt great!  Well, my lungs kind of burned and I felt like all my body was stretching and getting used to all the bouncing around that goes with running, but it felt so good to be going somewhere fast.  I ran about 2.5 miles I'd guess in somewhere between 20 and 24 minutes.  So that's either a really good mile pace for the first time back out, or a not bad one with plenty of room to improve.  I need to actually look at my watch and remember what it says the next time I go.  Or use my stop watch on my iPod or watch.  You know, all that technology I love?  I should actually use it. :)  Ah well. 

I didn't stop either, except to cross a street that had a bunch of traffic.  That's one of the things I love about running.  I felt far from great out there, but I was able to push through and tell myself I'd run the whole thing.  It always gives me a feeling of accomplishment when I push through like that when I won.  Simple little pleasures.  I think Spencer is teething right now, and feeding him is quite the trial for the both of us at the moment, so it felt really good to run away from those feelings for a few minutes.  I completely agree with my friend Rachael when she commented on the good feelings running brings.  Here's to many more good runs and hopefully a little less pain in the lungs. :)

This and That

 We went on our first hike not on a paved trail last night.  It was just up Rock Canyon, but we've got to start Spencer on something so he can get ready for the big mountains, right? :)  It was beautiful.  The river was running higher than I've ever seen it.  Spencer fell asleep almost immediately.  This is what he looked like most of the hike:

We were about down when Bill said to me that my water bottle was dripping on his foot.  I went to tighten it but it was already tight.  My sister looked at him and was like, "um, is that something yellow running down Spencer's leg?"  That's right, look close.  Spencer peed out the side of his diaper and onto his dad's foot.  It was hilarious!  He was so proud of himself. 

I've decided it's high time I stop putting off running, so tomorrow is the day people!  First run in about 10 months.  Should be fun.  I've officially experienced all the benefits of losing baby weight and nursing and my body is now telling me I have to actually work out to be in good shape. Rats!  jkjk, it will be fun.

We're gearing up for our 14-hour road trip to Oregon next week.  Yay for family reunions on the Oregon coast!  Here's hoping Spencer travels well for that long.  It's going to be a long day if he doesn't. 

Speaking of Spencer, he's finally decided he knows how to roll and doesn't cry anymore because he can't get over his arm.  Watch out world, this baby is moving!  He's ever so interested in our food these days.  I'm about ready to start him on solid foods, as he's trying to swipe ours any chance he gets.  Don't worry, the camera will be ready.

Running

I used to be a runner.  I think I was a pretty good one.  I ran a lot of races and started to do pretty well in them.  I got a lot faster over time.  I want to be one again.  My more recent running experiences have been more painful than enjoyable, so now that I've had Spencer, taken a racquetball and tennis class during Spring term to help me get back in shape, and am now getting ready to start again, I'm a little nervous.

I went to cheer on my friend Lizzie of theMotherRunner in the Utah Valley Marathon this morning.  She qualified for Boston!   Yay, Lizzie!  It reminded me of the goal I made a few years ago back when I ran Boston that I wanted to qualify and run it again, but this time knowing the course.  I want to feel like I owned the course instead of being owned by it like last time.  Don't get me wrong.  It was an amazing experience, but that was a rough race at the end.  The thing is, training to run a marathon doesn't sound good right now.  I don't have enough energy.  A half marathon sounds like I goal I could get my head around, though.  I think I'll start with that and work on getting my speed up again.  Right now I feel pretty heavy on my feet, and that's not going to get me to Boston. 

Just going to the race to cheer Lizzie on gave me a rush.  How fun is that.  I love competing and I forget about that sometimes, until I'm reminded at an event like that.  Not even kidding, I was just a tad emotional when I saw all the women runners coming in who finished fast enough to qualify for Boston.  Call me crazy, but it's a really good feeling to cross the finish line.  All the pain feels really worth it. 

Here's the question though.  What are some things I can do to enjoy running again?  I'm not getting nearly enough sleep, though it's getting  better.  Last night was the first night since Spencer was born that I didn't have to get up with him in the middle of the night.  Bill got up I think once, and I woke up, but was able to go back to sleep.  Hopefully that trend will continue and Spence will actually sleep all the way through and skip the wake up crying routine at 2AM.  He's getting way better every day, which is fantastic.  What are good ways to have enough energy?  Food tips?  Training tips?

4-Month Stats

Weight: 14.7 lbs 26th percentile
Height: 26 inches 74th percentile
Head size 43.82 79th percentile
Conclusion: We love our long string bean bobblehead baby!

We love him and he loves his goon!

Cute Photo of the Day

Out on a Drive/Walk at Diamond Fork in Spanish Fork Canyon.  The blue eyes kill me every time.  I love them!

Drumroll please!

We did our new and improved bedtime routine for the third night in a row last night and rather than crying for an hour and a half like he did the previous two nights, Spencer went right to sleep without a peep.  Could be an anomaly.  He might scream tonight again.  But I don't even care.  It was so awesome! 

He also is rolling both ways these days.  What a rockstar.  He's growing so fast.  He weighs well over 15 pounds now and we measured him today and he is 25 inches long or tall or whatever you call it.  Somehow we got a tall kid.  At least for the moment.  I'm not sure how we pulled that off, but I'll take it. :)

Spencer's first ride in the backpack.  He LOVED it.  He couldn't stop looking all around at the mountains and trees.  It was awesome.

He loved it so much he fell asleep in it.

4-Month picture