Busy Times!

The last week has been a little crazy in our household. I hurt my back last Thursday and have been somewhat out of commission since then. Well, as much as I can be with a toddler and infant to chase around. Since hurting my back, I have been unable to beginning running again. This has been a huge disappointment for me. I'm hoping to start again sometime in the next week or so.

On Friday, Cory had a vasectomy. I'm not sure he'll like me sharing that with the world (or the 5 or so people who actually read my blog), but it was a big deal. Him being in pain and me being in pain were not a good combination. Luckily, grandma was around to help out a lot with the kids, and he has pretty much made a full recovery since then.

Monday was my last day of work as a nanny. I love those 2 little ones like they're my own so this will be a really hard transition. Madison loves them like siblings and has asked about them every day since we've been gone. She still does not understand that we won't be going to their house every day anymore. I'll still babysit every now and then (like tomorrow) so we'll still see them quite a bit. I'm still searching for a new job. I've had a few promising interviews, but I haven't heard back on them yet. I'm really crossing my fingers to get a new nanny position with a wonderful family that I met yesterday. The stress of job hunting is weighing on me, and I want it to end soon!

We've had a really tough week of making decisions. Madison was accepted into the Early Childhood Special Education program at my mom's school as a Peer Role Model. We already had her signed up at the Gingerbread House preschool on Monday and Wednesday mornings. The program at Pinewood is 5 days a week in the afternoons (1-3:40). This means she can no longer take naps. After weighing the pros and cons of each school we ended up enrolling her at Pinewood as a Peer Model, and I couldn't be happier with the decision. Today was her first day, and she did great! She loves her teachers, and the program is fantastic. There are 4 special ed kids, 2 peer models, and 3 teachers in the class. What a great ratio! I was worried that the program would not be "academic" enough, but it definitely is. I really expect her to excel in the program and really develop some strong leadership skills. Her teacher is really determined to help get her potty trained, and I couldn't be more thrilled with this. The lack of nap today really showed in bad behavior this evening, but I'm hoping she'll get used to it soon. She better!

In front of her "locker"
on the 1st day

Doing puzzles

Today was also Macy's 6 month well-baby visit. She's finally putting on some weight! She's now 13lbs 2oz (4%), 24.5 inches (9%), and her head circumference is 42.2cm (39%). She's still a peanut, but at least she's on the charts this time. Dr. Fran was pleased with her growth and said she looks a lot healthier. He gave us the green light for solids in about 2 weeks. We're also going to ween her off of the MSPI formula that we've still been supplementing with and try regular formula. I'm still breastfeeding as much as possible, but my body is just not cooperating. I'm going to try to keep it up until her birthday because I really want to try to keep her healthy this winter.

This weekend will be a fun and busy one for us, between fun with friends and the first Husker game. Can't wait!

6 Months Old!

I can't believe it! My little baby is 6 months old already. Where has the time gone? Since this is our last baby I have really tried to be conscious about relishing every moment with her and enjoying each and every milestone. It's just crazy to think about where we were 6 months ago when this tiny 4lbs 11oz little miracle was born. Oh how our lives have changed for the better.

Macy is really starting to become such a fun little thing. She giggles at the crazy things her big sister does. I tried catching it on video the other day, but she seems to be a little camera shy. She is rolling all over the floor and is even trying to scoot on her belly. She can get her legs going, but she has a hard time getting her upper body to move. She is also just starting to sit up for really short periods of time. We are getting her 6 month pictures and Madison's 3 year pictures taken in a couple of weeks, and I'm really hoping she'll be sitting up in time for those.

We go in next week for her 6 month well-baby check and shots (eeeekkkk!) I can really tell that she's been packing on some weight over the last couple of weeks so I'm hoping she's somewhere around the 13lb mark. I'm still supplementing with formula since my milk supply really has not improved, even with going off of the MSPI diet and quitting running (I'll be back to running starting tomorrow, but I'll save that for another post).

Here are a few recent pictures and videos of my beautiful girls:

She loves sticking her tongue out!

Look at me! I'm 6 months old today!

First time in the Jumperoo (her feet
actually touch the ground)

"My mommy's lazy and makes me
hold my own bottle."

Madison was jealous that I was taking Macy's
pictures and not her's

Ethan & Madison (they are sure
going to miss each other)

Giggling at grandma

And the Results Are In!

So, before I begin with the race recap, I have to talk about the night before. Friday night I had Bunco group. I kept debating back and forth and having discussions with Shannon and Lisa (my racing buddies) about how much food I was going to eat at Bunco. This is my first month in over 6 of being off of my no dairy/soy diet and getting to eat all of the yummy food everyone makes. I must say, these girls outdid themselves this month with the cheesy dips and fabulous desserts. As soon as I saw the spread, I dug in! Later that night, while I was getting ready for bed I suddenly had this horrible sick to my stomach feeling. I realized I had definitely pigged out too much. I ended up setting my alarm for 6:30 a.m. and going to bed, just hoping the pain would go away and be gone in the morning.

In discussions that night at Bunco I was telling a few people that over the last 11 weeks since we started running (33 days total), we have never felt a drop of rain or been rained out. That's amazing when you think about Nebraska summers. Uh oh, I totally cursed us!

I slept good that night and ended up waking up (feeling good) to LOUD cracks of thunder at 6:00 a.m. Then I heard the rain start pounding against my bedroom window. I laid there for a minute and thought to myself, "This cannot seriously be happening. Why did I have to bring up the rain discussion at Bunco last night?" I suddenly jumped out of bed to turn on the TV and watch the radar. The upbeat weather girl on channel 6 comes on and basically says that the day's rain should hold off until sometime around noon. Are you kidding me lady? It's pouring outside, and can't you hear that thunder? She's obviously not going to be any help so I hopped on the computer to look at the live radar. Not good! Thunderstorms everywhere.

I got ready anyway and headed to Shannon's house by 7:15 for our agreed upon meeting time. We were all really bummed about the weather but decided to head to Lake Zorinsky anyway. There were several cars there when we pulled in, so that was a good sign. We ran from the car to the registration tent and asked what the plan was. We were told that they were going ahead with the race, rain or shine. I was shocked that they'd let us run with the lightning. We were also informed that the race didn't start until 8:30 (we thought it was at 8:00). We gathered our registration goods and headed back to the car to wait for an hour. While we sat there the rain continued heavily, and the lightning and thunder didn't let up either. Shannon and Lisa talked about not racing, but I said I was racing either way. The organizers of the race didn't care about the lightning, why should I?

At about 8:15 we decided to face the rain and head to the restroom. The rain had let up a bit, but it was cold! We hung out in the warm bathroom for a bit and then headed outside. Other runners (hardcore looking ones at that - I was intimidated) started gathering around the starting line, and suddenly the rain stopped! It was crazy! Right around 8:28 the storm completely disappeared. No rain, no lightning, no thunder. The head guy said a little speech about MS (the cause we were running for) and buzzed his horn signaling the start of the race. And we were off!

The course was kind of weird. We went back and forth across the same area a couple different times. The roads and paths were a little slick from all the rain we had gotten, but it wasn't that bad. The first mile was fairly easy for me, even with a large hill to climb. I didn't bring a watch with me because I didn't want to obsess about my time. I just wanted to run at my own pace and hopefully make my goal. At just past the 1 mile mark I yelled to Lisa to ask her what time we were at. 11:22. Awesome! That was my fastest mile yet. Shortly thereafter we came upon a much-needed water station.

At around the 1.75 mile point I was starting to wear down. I kept watching the parking lot to see if Cory and the girls had arrived yet. I finally spotted my van, and I was excited. I got back to the water station, and just past that, I saw Cory and my girls. Madison saw me and waved. She ran towards me and yelled, "Hi mommy! Run fast!" That was exactly what I needed at that exact moment. I told her I loved her and kept going. Knowing she was watching me and would be waiting for me at the finish line made me run harder.

I went back and forth between running and walking (there was no way I could run the whole thing) to conserve my energy and catch my breath. I knew I still had that same hill to climb again just towards the end of the race. When I got to the hill, I was totally exhausted. I had to push so hard just to walk up it. When I finally reached the top I knew I only had about 1/4 of a mile left. I also knew I had to be getting close to my 38 minute goal. Lisa was about 30 seconds ahead of me, and Shannon was about 1 minute behind me so I couldn't yell out to either of them to find out what time we were at. At that point, I was really wishing I had brought a watch. I told myself I would run until the end, but I just couldn't quite do it. As I approached the finish line I could see a big board with the time - 38:12, 38:13, 38:14.... I knew I hadn't hit my goal and I was disappointed, but I ran hard to the end. I never saw my ending time, but I think it was around 38:20 or so. I was so proud of myself for finishing but disappointed for not hitting my goal of 38 minutes.

The winner of the race ended up finishing 16:07. Craziness! The final results were posted on the organizers' website later yesterday and my official time was 37:50! Woohoo! I have no idea which time was accurate, but since it's posted on the web I'm going with it. I reached my goal! I finished 99th out of 114 people. Slightly embarrassing, but I justify it by telling myself that the people that showed up on that rainy day had to be the hardcore runners. That weather wasn't for sissies!

All in all, I'm really proud of myself for sticking with this, even through all of my ups and downs. For now, I'm hanging up my running shoes to take care of my baby, but I plan to be back at it again next spring, when I'm done breastfeeding. I hope to be stronger and faster next year!

The approach to the finish line (in the blue shirt)

Crossing the finish line

Mission accomplished!

Lisa, Shannon, and me after the race

Final Prep For Race Day

Tonight was my last official run before race day. I've been able to run a little more each day, but I'm still not back to where I was 3 or so weeks ago. The milk supply, weight issues, etc. are still a problem, but I've decided to keep running until Saturday's race. After that I will probably be quitting or only running 1 day a week or so. There are still at least 2 more races I had planned to run within the next few months, but at this point my milk supply and Macy's health are more important.

We scoped out the race course at Lake Zorinsky on Tuesday night, and the course looks pretty decent. There are a couple of hills that look a little daunting, and it seems like the runners will be kind of crowded together in spots, but overall I think it will be good. I think I'm officially ready to set a goal, so here it goes. I'm shooting for finishing the 5K in 38 minutes or under. I will not be running the entire thing, and while things were going well a few weeks ago I was thinking of a goal of around 34 or 35 minutes. I think this 38 minute goal might be a little tough, but I think it's doable if I really push myself. At this point, I think the farthest I've officially gone while training is 2.25 miles so the last 3/4 of a mile or so should be interesting.

I'm trying to decide if I should get a watch before Saturday so that I can pace myself to try to hit my goal, or if I should just wing it and go as fast as I can. I think I might be distracted by the watch and get a little obsessed with watching the time. I also can't decide if I'm going to bring my iPod or not. If anyone has any advice on either of these issues, I'd really appreciate it.

I think Cory is planning to bring the girls and cheer me on. While I was getting ready to go run on Tuesday night Madison said to me, "Mommy I want to go watch you run." I told her that she could come watch my race on Saturday, and I think she's excited about it. It will be fun to have them there. No matter my time, I hope my family will be proud of me for accomplishing the goal I made for myself 11 weeks ago. I know this experience has made me feel better about myself, even with the setbacks I've had the last few weeks.

Wish me luck!

Update to "Disappointed!"

Well I finally gave in and called my OBGYN after things were not getting better. She had me come in for a CBC and a thyroid check. Both tests came back normal. So per her recommendation the next step is to see a nutritionist through the diabetes center. Her thought is that I'm not finding a balance between taking in enough calories and protein and burning calories through breastfeeding and running. Before last night, I had not run in almost 2 weeks, and I have been feeling much better, and my milk supply has increased dramatically. I haven't had to supplement with any formula for 3 days. I did end up running some last night, and I can already tell this morning that probably wasn't a good idea.

I took Macy to the doctor yesterday for a weight check. She's now 11 lbs 3 oz. She gained 8.5 oz in 12 days. Dr. H was pretty pleased with that. He concurred with my OBGYN's decision to have me see a nutritionist. In the meantime he gave me the green light to try bringing dairy and soy back into my diet to see how Macy reacts. So, last night we had pancakes (I've been craving them so bad!) and a cinnamon roll. YUM! In my opinion, if Macy tolerates this little experiment all of our problems will be solved. If I can get off of this crazy diet I will be able to get the calories and protein I need.

So for now, it's a waiting game to see how her little tummy reacts. I should be able to tell in the next day or so. If she reacts badly we could be in for a rough week or two. If she reacts fine, I will begin challenging her more by eating ice cream and drinking milk.

I'm still really disappointed that I am unable to run for now. My big race is only 2 weeks away, and I feel like I won't be ready for it. I registered for the race the other night because I'm going to do it even if I have to walk the whole thing. I made this commitment 9 weeks ago, and I'm not giving up on it now. Hopefully we'll get things figured out in the next few days, and I can still have at least a week to train for the 5K. For now though, Macy's health is obviously the most important thing so I'll focus on that. Grow baby grow!

Disappointed!

I haven't talked much about running lately. We are on week 8 of running, and things had been going really well for me. I was feeling really strong and was following the C25K program to a "T". Over the last week or so I have really started to struggle. We had been running at Millard North's track, which really seemed a lot easier than running at Standing Bear. The scenery was not as nice, but the softness of the track and the lack of hills seemed to make running easier. We have since moved back to Standing Bear to endure more realistic race-like conditions to prepare for the August 15 race.

Sometime last week is when I feel like I really started to struggle, and I'm not 100% sure why. I feel like I'm not accomplishing what I wanted to out of running. Sure, I have definitely made huge strides since starting the program 8 weeks ago, but I don't feel like I'm gaining any energy or anything from it. I'm tired all of the time, and now my milk supply is suffering greatly. Macy only gained 0.5 oz in 10 days, and that is not good. Her pediatrician is rightly concerned about her and me. I'm losing weight like crazy, and I feel really unhealthy. I know I shouldn't be complaining about losing weight, but I lost 4 lbs. last week which brought me below what I weighed when I got married. This is not a healthy weight loss. I think part of my problem is I am not taking in enough calories in a day to compensate for breastfeeding and for running 3 times a week. My body just isn't getting enough energy for the energy I am expending. I am trying to make a conscious effort to eat more in spite of being on this MSPI diet. I have to have something change soon, not really for my running, but more for Macy. I desperately want to keep breastfeeding, but I know that she needs to stay healthy.

I am really disappointed in myself for letting things get to this point. I was really excited about losing weight, especially having to fit in a bridesmaid dress, but I think I let things get out of hand. I didn't really think about the repercussions of skipping meals here or there.

I am now to the point that I'm not sure I will be able to continue running over the next few weeks until I get things under control. Last night when we ran I was only able to run for 5 minutes before I was completely exhausted. I had to walk the rest of the way back to the car, and even that was a struggle for me. I had been running about 10 minutes at a time for about 20 minutes total each run. I think I'm going to try to take it easy for at least a week to try to get back some of my energy and start eating better. Hopefully I will be able to continue my quest to accomplish the 5K, but more importantly, hopefully Macy starts packing on the pounds and I can continue to breastfeed.

I can't believe it's been 3 weeks...

since I updated this thing. Wow, how times flies by! A lot has happened in the last 3 weeks in the Jensen household. I'm just going to list a few of the highlights of the last 3 weeks:

-My dad and his wife came to visit for a week from North Carolina. My dad's side of the family had a BBQ at my mom's house, and it was great to visit with family that we don't get to see very often. Madison had tons of fun playing with my cousin Chris's little girl, Hartley.

-We had a fun little 4th of July gathering with family and friends at our house. We also went to Ryan & Keri's for a party on Friday night.

-Madison had her first dentist appointment. She was scared to death, but they accomplished what they wanted to with her - her teeth look great!

-Macy had her 4-month check-up. She's growing great lengthwise and with her head circumference, but her weight is lagging behind a bit.

-I was a bridesmaid in my cousin's wedding last weekend. It was a fun time, and I hope Joel & Kori will live happily ever after! Cory was a fabulous daddy while I was away doing wedding stuff. Madison had a great time dancing her little heart out all night long.

-This last Friday I found out that I will probably not be Emma & Ethan's nanny after September. Emma will be starting Kindergarten, and Ethan will probably go to an all day preschool program. This will be a difficult change for Madison and me. I really love those kids (almost like my own), and Madison is almost like their sister. So the job hunt begins again after almost 4 years!

-I sort of started a new little job caring for an Alzheimer's patient in her home this weekend. She's a sweet little lady, and I will probably continue doing this off and on for some extra money.


That sort of sums up what we've been up to. Here are a few pics of the last few weeks:

Macy and me watching fireworks at
Keri & Ryan's 4th of July party

My beautiful girls in their matching
4th of July outfits

4 generations of the Miller family -
the girls did not cooperate for this pic

Madison and Hartley at the BBQ

Macy gets tuckered out while practicing
sitting up in her Bumbo seat

Me and some of the wedding party in the limo