I was running...

Well, Operation Get In Shape is underway. I've been hiking, doing yoga, and recently I started running again! It has been YEARS since I've done any significant outdoor runs, so I'm taking it slow and using the Couch to 5k program. I LOVE it!! The workouts are difficult but manageable and slowly build up your endurance. The hills in our neighborhood kill me, but finishing a workout feels AMAZING. I am running 3 races this summer starting with the Evergreen Town Race 5k and Color Me Rad 5k in August. My friend Letty is running both of those with me which should give me a push in my training- it keeps me accountable! Then I'm running the Golden Gallop 10k in October- so my goal is to be in 10k shape within 4 1/2 months!! Of course that means consistently running through the beastly summer months, but I can do it if I stick to morning & evening excursions. I'm hoping that between that & hiking with the fam this summer, I'll end up in the best shape of my adult life!

Glenwood Springs

On Saturday we took another mini family road trip to Glenwood Springs. The drive was about 2 1/2 hours, but the kids handled it so well, and the landscape was so interesting and ever changing that it went by amazingly fast. On the way down we saw a herd of big horn sheep standing right next to the road! We drove through snowy alpine peaks and red stone high desert. And then, on the final leg, we drove through the most incredible and staggeringly beautiful gorge along the Colorado River. We had never seen anything like it and we were in complete awe.

somewhere around Vail

the mighty Colorado 

The town of Glenwood Springs itself is awesome. It is another old west town, built over some natural hot springs and vapor caves. There is access to the world's largest hot springs pool- over two blocks long! There were adorable shops and restaurants, access to lots of hiking and swimming, a mountain top amusement park... we were beyond impressed. In fact, we decided that it is going to be our regular family vacation spot- a place we can take the kids to year after year and always find something fun to do. We can't wait to go back!

the pool is open year round!

hiking up to Doc Holliday's grave 

beautiful old mountain cemetary 

Kisses

Griffin came down with a nasty cold a few days ago, and because he is such a doting brother, Evvie came down with it yesterday. They're both handling it like champs, but they're both all congested so we need to occasionally suction out their noses. Evvie HATES that process & cries this mournful, betrayed cry every time. I was just clearing her out with Griff right next to me, and as she was crying, Griff patted her head and said "I know, Ebbie, I know. Dittin hates it too!" SO CUTE.

Like most parents, we kiss Griff's "ouchies" whenever he gets a minor injury. The other day though he bit his tongue & then stuck it out & cried "kiss!" Sorry, dude- your on your own with that one!

Mother's Day

Since my brother was in town a week ago, we celebrated Mother's Day with my mom then. That means I had this entire weekend to myself! Not to sound selfish, but I NEEDED the relaxation. This whole mom of two children under 3 thing is no joke.

Drew went out of his way to make sure I had an awesome Mother's Day and I absolutely did! I've been DYING to see the Great Gatsby, so my gift from him and the kids was a gift certificate to the theater & the time off on Saturday night to go! FREEDOM! And I adored the movie. Perfect gift!

On Sunday, they took me to breakfast at Lucile's- my favorite place in Denver! There was a huge wait because of the holiday, but the kids were AMAZINGLY well behaved and the food was SO worth the wait!!

since it's a Creole cafe, all the kids get Mardi Gras beads! G loved his!

After that, they took me to the Botanic Garden. It is a beautiful & peaceful place that I am madly in love with, but I never really get to go! It was a gorgeous day, so it was perfect even though it's still early spring and not much was in bloom. Griffin loved it too and didn't want to leave!

After that, we spent the rest of the day at relaxing at home. Drew spent the afternoon "in charge" of Griffin so that my day would be a little easier. Ahhhh... the life.

We're right back to reality today though with Drew at work and both kids home with me. Evvie is 6 weeks old today, so I am starting the slow process of transitioning her into her crib! Prior to this, she's slept almost exclusively in our room, so I plan on putting her down for naps in her own bed more and more regularly so she gets used to it.

deciding its not so bad!

Getting Out

The first several weeks of maternity leave are always spent within the confines of home. I know thats the way it has to be- for my recovery, for the baby's immune system, etc etc. But I LOATHE it. Hanging out at home day in and day out makes me feel like I'm suffering from the flu or agoraphobia, giving me a miserable case of cabin fever. I start to even REALLY miss work! Slowly but surely we've started to re-emerge into the real world though and it feels great.

A couple of weeks ago, we took our first family mini-road trip and drove up to Grand Lake. Although it is spring in the front range, the mountains are still cold, snowpacked and gorgeous. The town itself is an old place, complete with wooden sidewalks and antique western facades hugging the state's largest natural lake. It was so nice to get out and enjoy nature and a bit of history!

ok, so maybe Evvie wasnt happy to be there...

Then, this weekend my brother was in town to meet Evvie, so we did quite a bit of visiting! We did lots of hanging out and catching up, we took the kids to the Colorado Railroad Museum, and we had a big Sunday dinner. It was awesome.

meeting her Uncle Brian

Griff is drivin' that train...

exploring with Grandpa 

The Crew

Cutest Train Lover EVER.

On Saturday morning, Drew and I took the kids to the Star Wars exhibit at the Air & Space Museum. Griffin was incredibly well behaved (likely because he was in heaven) and Evvie slept sweetly the entire time. We all had so much fun taking a look at the real x-wing they had on display and having our pictures taken with various characters. Griffin also got his own light saber & was able to shoot a laser!

I thought these guys would freak Griff out, but he LOVED them (Darth Maul is his favorite!) 

with R2 & the xwing

more xwing 

our dapper pilot

chillin' with Darth 

the force is strong with this one 

he's got the whole world... 

meeting Yoda

family & friends 

R2!

Then Saturday evening, my family babysat the kids while Drew and I went out to celebrate our anniversary. 8 years!!! It was the first time we've been out childless since October and it felt GOOD. We had dinner at Linger downtown, where they gave us super special treatment because of our special occasion. They sat us by a window with lovely views and we had an INCREDIBLE meal. Then we went to the Green Russell- a speakeasy, and our favorite bar in Denver. We had so much fun and such a romantic evening. But first sign we are old fogeys? We were READY TO GO by 8pm. It was still light out when we walked to the car! Good times.

at dinner 

AMAZING cocktails

8 years 

But even small outings have been great. The kids and I met Drew at work yesterday for lunch.

Griff got to turn on the lights & sirens!

Evvie and I took a mother-daughter shopping trip to Kohls. We all took a nice walk around downtown Golden. Even running to the grocery store alone (ALONE!) has been wonderful. And the weather has definitely turned for the better- its been raining lately instead of snowing! Progress! So I think we'll all be out & about and back to normal in no time.

Second Time's a Charm

Evelyn is a month old. This time has flown by so fast! She's already changed so much- she's much bigger, of course. But she's also awake for good portions of the day. She smiles all the time, especially at her brother. And she's starting to lose some of that hair! Drew's paternity leave is already over- he went back to work Monday. We're all sad about it, me because life just got REALLY hard (I cant believe I ever complained about the difficulty in raising ONE! Because seriously, when it's just me & Evvie, it's a CAKEWALK) and Griffin because he lost his buddy & partner in crime. You should have SEEN the sheer happiness on his face when Drew walked through the door last night.

In the spirit of this one month milestone, I figured I'd finally write Evvie's birth story. Hers is far less dramatic and interesting than Griffin's was, and that is a GOOD thing, but it was no less beautiful and powerful!

We went into this delivery knowing it was going to be a c-section which saved me a LOT of heartache. That being said, I was TERRIFIED of the process because of what I went through last time. I spent my entire pregnancy trying not to think about it at all, but when it would pop into my head, I'd immediately be filled with dread and anxiety. Until the day before she came.

Easter Sunday was a gorgeous and laid back day- perfect in every way. We got up with Griffin and helped him find his Easter basket, then had a nice breakfast at home. A few hours later, Betsy was here and we spent some time chatting. That afternoon we had dinner at my parents' house, and then took Griffin to play at the park by their house. And then we were back home to finish packing, chat more and relax. I tucked Griffin into bed, read him some stories, and told him he'd always be my baby boy. And that was that! I thought those evening hours would be when I really got scared, but instead it was the opposite. I was no longer avoiding the thought of my impending delivery, instead I welcomed it. And instead of terror, I was filled with calm and excitement. I was ready.

coloring Easter eggs!

last photo as a family of 3! Just as we left for the hospital. I was GIANT!!!

The calm extended into the next day- Evvie's birthday! We woke up early, got Griffin ready for school, and drove to the hospital. Things moved pretty quickly from there- I got checked in, my parents showed up, I got hooked up to the IV and monitors... and all the while I stayed perfectly cool & collected. It was like I was a different person. I think it helped that my nurse, OB, and anesthesiologist were all AMAZING and kept me feeling happy & informed every step of the way. And then it was time!

Once in the operating room, it was immediately time for the spinal. Although I was ready to take it like a champ, I'm not gonna lie- that thing HURT. WAY less than full on, pitocin spiked labor... but NOT a pleasant feeling. After that, I started to have some kind of reaction to the medication. They brought Drew in, and he held my hand and smiled at me, but I started to feel really light headed and nauseous. When I let the anesthesiologist know, he discovered my blood pressure had dropped significantly so he gave me some other medication to offset it & then had me smell rubbing alcohol to help "wake me up". It worked! After that, I was numbed up but felt completely fine. Then the surgery started. I trusted my doc implicitly, and Drew was a huge comfort, but after several minutes, I felt like something wasn't exactly right. Griffin was born SO fast... and everyone that morning had told me it should only be 5 minutes before Evvie would be there, but it seemed like they were going and going and I wasn't hearing any crying, wasn't feeling any tugging... it was eerily quiet. Then I smelled something burning and I heard the doctor comment to the nurse that I was full of scar tissue from my previous infection & that there was some adhesion to my abdominal wall, so they needed to take time to carefully separate it (that was the burning I was smelling. so gross.) I started to freak out about it, but almost immediately after he said that, he turned to me and told me to get ready for some pressure because she was almost here, and just a minute or two after that I heard those precious first cries- finally! My daughter had arrived safe and sound!

the very second of her birth! 

first time in my arms 

with her mama & daddy

father & daughter

In the two years since I had Griffin, the hospital had changed its policies. Instead of whisking the baby away immediately after birth and sending the father along with them, they have realized the importance of immediate skin to skin contact for mother-infant bonding. So once Evvie was born and had her airway suctioned out, they put her right in my arms. It was the most amazing and sacred moment- something that is NEEDED as a mother, and something I missed when Griffin was born. I got to hold her, snuggle and kiss her the entire time they sewed me back up. It made that part go by so much faster, and unlike the first time, since Drew was with us too, I didn't feel scared or alone at all.

hanging with her grandmas right after surgery

getting ready for her first bath

some mama time

happily out of the recovery room & up in the regular hospital room!

meeting her big brother for the first time 

tired but enjoying the morning sun

my favorites

My recovery this time was also WORLDS different. Of course I had initial pain and discomfort, but much less. And since I was far less exhausted to begin with, I was able to manage it much better. Between that and the fact that Evvie was so healthy (no jaundice to deal with this time!) I was able to happily keep her with us the entire time in the hospital instead of needing to have her sleep in the nursery. My milk also came in almost immediately (instead of a few nervous weeks later) which made for a MUCH easier experience. Within a day or two I was up and walking around the hospital. Within a week, I was managing most things for myself at home, and now I feel for the most part just like my old self! My incision is healing beautifully, and I feel healthy and strong. I've already dropped most of my pregnancy weight- my body just needs to reconfigure itself a bit. I couldn't be happier or more thankful. This experience was as nearly perfect as possible. All I am left with now is this gorgeous and complete family. Such an amazing blessing!