I Can See Why People Heart NY

Yeah, try getting those down the stairs to the subway - fortunately we had an entourage to help. One might argue at the least the infant should have been in a carrier/sling type thing but I have a gaping hole in my back that would make such a thing impossible. (Had minor surgery last week.)

New York surprised me, it really did. I expected it to feel and be a certain way, and it was totally different. When I went to most European cities they were exactly as I knew they would be. Paris, especially, felt like it had always been in my heart, like it was mine. Though conversely I did feel very inferior there - like, if I lived there for the 25 years it still wouldn't be good enough and could still not call myself a 'Parisienne.' NY, on the other hand, was not at all like it is depicted and I surprisingly did not feel inferior. Maybe because there are so many types of people there, I don't know. And I expected it to feel oppressive and small like Toronto (grrr... I hate TO) but there is a surprising amount of both physical and mental space in that city. It truly is magical. And the people? Very friendly. I KNOW, WEIRD! Oh, and I felt safer there than I do here in Virginia. Figure THAT one out.

We made a last minute decision to go to last week to see a friend play at Carnegie Hall. Why would we choose to drive 360 miles each way with two little kids, you might ask? Well, since we live on the eastern seaboard, relatively near all these great places, and never go to them, always having a reason not to take the time or spend the money, having a friend play at CH was just the once-in-a-lifetime push we needed to make the trip. Sure driving 8-9 hours with two little kids was not the best time I've ever had, nor was it super good times to breastfeed all over Manhattan, but it was overall a very fun trip. Nadia, especially, surprised us by being an awesome traveller. Who knew! And Snugs, after spending nearly 3 days in the carseat, rewarded us by not sleeping either night in the hotel. Hey, we deserved it.

The highlight: (Besides, obviously, seeing a concert at CH and sightseeing with my peeps from back home.) Running 6.5 miles in central park. Seriously, I could do that every day.

Lowlight: Delaware.

Forever

I've been meaning to mention my favorite running song for weeks now, but obviously am only now getting to it. Since finding it on iTunes, I have spent many miles listening to this and only this: 'Forever' by Chris Brown. Why is it so good, you might ask? Well, it's only the song played during possibly the best moment in television, Jim and Pam's wedding on 'The Office' and it makes me tear up every time I think about it.

I heard a really metronomical rendition of Haydn's C major concerto on the radio the other day played by Hannah Chang which reminded me how much I love that piece. So I ran 11 miles on Saturday listening to Steven Isserlis' version. Some people need music with a beat that matches their pace, however I need music that carries my mind away from the fact that my legs hurt, or I'm bored, or it's windy. It was the best run over 8 miles I've ever had, despite the windy conditions.... so was it training or Haydn? Maybe a bit of both?

So more Haydn is on the menu! I do like Isserlis a lot, but I also like Bylsma's faster recording, and now that I've heard how fantastic Chang can play it, well, maybe I'll create a playlist with all three renditions to listen to during the race. You think that's a joke? Nope, I really am that much of a nerd.

5 Months

Since mastering rolling over on her right, Snugs has now moved on to learning to roll to her left. She's almost there. As you can see, she has no problem being on her tummy these days and can even put those arms forward to bring toys toward her, which, of course, end up in her mouth.

Snugs has been doing this cute thing where when she sees one of us she starts moving her hips up and down - especially funny when she's in the jumperoo because it makes her sway back and forth.

Night sleep has been an issue but it's getting better (counterintuitively, an earlier bedtime seems to be contributing to the improvement - kids are weird) though the trade-off seems to be shorter, more difficult, naps. It's a trade-off I'll take since Mama needs her sleep!

While it was obvious at Nadia's bday party that she does not like to be the center of attention, Josee, on the other hand, seems to have no problem with it. She loves attention from anyone and is quick to reward such gifts with smiles and gurgles. Sooo cute!

In other 5 month news, I am in week 4 of an intermediate half marathon training plan. Last time I ran my first half after a beginner program but figured since my mileage and overall fitness level are higher now I could step up my training program. My speed isn't quite what it was pre-Snugs, but it's getting closer. Last week was a light week at the end of which I was supposed to race a 5k. I raced it by myself and came in at 23:28, a time with which I was pretty happy. The bad part is that I do 3-4 out of my 5 runs per week with the double stroller which means I can rarely do the intervals exactly how they're supposed to be done. Especially if there's any wind of significance. Grrrr, I hate wind. I'm sure you're all (all 2 of you?!) asking why I don't drop the chillins off at the Y and do the runs on my own. Well. There are two answers to that. 1. I'm still exclusively bfeeding Snugs and I hate pumping so I have to save the pumped milk for when I go teach - she's pretty good at chilling for an hour or so in the swing in childwatch- she is soooo not her sister- but I have to time it perfectly in between naps and when I think she'll be hungry - needless to say it doesn't always work and 2. After a couple of visits, one or both of the kids, or both of them then me, gets sick and we can't go for 1-2 weeks anyway. I try to save my visits for things I find harder to do on my own, like strength training. For some reason I need people to watch me lift weights, like in a class, otherwise I cheat and rush through it to get it over with. I'm a slacker that way.

So there you have it. Rolling and running. That's pretty much what Snugs and I are up to these days. Nadia is mostly up to playing memory, Hi-Ho Cherrio, memorizing books, drawing mal-proportioned (but very cute) people, playing with the tool kit she got for her birthday, and asking me what letter every word in the dictionary starts with. No wonder I went to bed at 9:30 last night!

Happy Holidays From the Griswolds

So I really hate the idea of family picture Christmas cards - at least of us, I actually like it when people send me theirs. This is such a terrible ragamuffin bunch I may just have to make a holiday card out of it.