Kristy Maute

Chet news! 3 weeks! Oh my!

Somehow may days and nights have all blurred together, and Chet is now 3 weeks old. I know it’s cliche, but time sure does fly by when you have a new baby.

The past two days have given me hope that balance in life is in my future. We made it to Trader Joes to grocery shop. We walk 2+ miles at a nice slow leisurely pace. We took Cole to target, toys r us, and game stop to search for skylander figures. Chet is also starting to develop a predictable sleep schedule at night. Eat and sleep around 9pm. Eat and sleep around 12:30am. Eat and don’t sleep around 4:00am. This 4am feeding is Chet’s witching hour. He is having a hard time relaxing at this point of the day and is full of gas. Normally I hand him over to Christian around 5am so I can take a break and get some sleep. Christian also seems to have the magic touch. He can always get him back to sleep. Some mornings I feel ready to start the day at 7am when he wakes back up to eat again. Other mornings I feed him and we both sleep until 10am. No wonder my days fly by and blur together.

Boobs and gas are the biggest obstacles in our house this week. My boobs. Chet’s gas. I do think my boobs are on the road to recovery. Thank goodness. But Chet’s gas seems to get worse by the day. He’s still such a laid back baby that he doesn’t even cry when he’s uncomfortable. He just grunts, moans, groans, squirms, and desperately tries to get comfortable. He’s happiest when he’s being bounced in Christian’s arm or eating!

Being a newborn mom is hard work. The high from week one had slowly worn off. Three weeks of little sleep is catching up to me. Hormones and tears have definitely found me when I least expected it. I’ve felt like I stink at parenting in one moment to completely enjoying every second of my baby. It’s all a part of the ride, and he is so worth it. (Don’t worry. I know I don’t stink at parenting)

Chet continues to be a baby with a million expressions. He smiles a lot especially when he’s eating. He now sings to my boob after he’s done eating. My mom said it sounds like he is purring. It’s so sweet. He really is such a good baby even when he’s having a late night party at 4am.

Leftovers – A Soup-er Sunday Version

My husband insisted we get a big turkey. Five people plus a baby does not equal a 20 pound turkey. Needless to say, we have a lot of leftovers. So today I brought back Soup-er Sunday. I’m recycling this recipe from last years cooking streak. I can’t believe I found time to cook soup every Sunday. Maybe next year Chet can be my helper and Soup-er Sundays will be back for good. For now, her is a soup-er yummy recipe that I modified for Thanksgiving leftovers.

Thank you Becoming Betty for the original recipe.

Today’s Soup: ~~Chicken~~ Turkey Tortellini Soup

2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups carrots, peeled and cut into diagonal slices
2 cups celery, diced small
1-2 T. Italian seasoning
1 bay leaf
2 boxes of ~~chicken~~ turkey broth
16 ounces cheese tortellini ~~(packaged in the refrigerator section at the store)~~ I bought the dried bag of Ravioli from Trader Joes. $1.99 a bag. You can’t beat that!
4-5 cups cooked shredded ~~chicken~~ turkey
1 chicken bullion cube
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Parmesan Cheese to top

Chet loved it! Cole did too! And of course this didn’t put a dent in our leftovers. Anyone else have any good recipe ideas?

Embracing. Flowing. Bending.

As a single footstep will not make a path on Earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again. To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thought we wish to dominate our lives ~ Thoreau

46451_10151144692938240_955979358_n — Long Creek Trail

This morning started off rocky. Another run was delayed due to sleeping or lack there of by a certain baby. Somehow he knows. He knows when I’m going to leave for a run, and he insists on keeping me close to home. He has slept great all week. He doesn’t always sleep bad. He must sense my energy the night before a long run. He must hear me making plans to meet Heidi. He must feel the need to remind me that I’m still on his schedule. As I was ready to slide into my running shoes and out the front door, he woke up. I tiptoed into his room to nurse him. I tried to put him back to bed. He had other plans. Two hours later I was headed to the park. Instead of meeting Heidi for the back half of my run, I meet her for the first half.

In those two hours before I ran, I was ready to throw in the towel. For a moment I felt like I was trying to juggle too much. I felt too ambitious. I felt a little crazy. I want it all. I want to provide for my baby as he needs me, but I want to run. I want to run long miles along trails. I want to run with friends for therapeutic conversations. I want to run solo for companionship with myself. I want to snuggle my baby on Saturday mornings.

Chet was quickly tucked into be for his nap, and I was able to slip out the door (Christian was home this whole time just to be clear. I don’t leave my children home alone!).

I ran the first five miles with Heidi. I purged my thoughts. I confessed my desires and expressed the tug-of-war I feel between running and mothering. She listened and dedicated her run to letting me process all of my thoughts. She supported me. She reminded me that I’m not crazy. She reminded me that I don’t want too much. She reminded me that I can juggle it all, but it takes flexibility. As I said goodbye to her, I felt better and recommitted to these not so crazy goals of mine. I can be a mom and a runner.

As my thoughts grew clearer and stronger, my running followed. My legs got faster. My breathing became easy. I ran 7 more miles on unmarked and marked trails. I ran an unmarked trail to a secluded beach. I followed the shore to another secluded trail. My footprints were the only set on the sand. The clarity I found running with Heidi supported me for the next 7 miles. Maybe Chet knew I need support on the first half my run instead of the back half. Maybe he kept me home on purpose.

561580_10151144593343240_244779802_n — Unmarked Trail

With a clear head and surprisingly fresh legs, I settled into the second half of my run. I took in the beauty of this place I call home. I smiled knowing all three of my boys were home driving each other crazy as only boys can do. I smiled knowing that this moment belonged to me.

12.2 miles (plus 1 walked) – 2:22:18 with my last 3.2 miles in the 9s!

Week 4 of marathon training is complete. I checked almost everything off my training plan missing only a 3 mile run but checking both strength training and yoga of my plan. I’m four weeks in, and I’m already learning more about life than I am about running. I’m learning flexibility. I’m learning grace. I’m learning strength both physical and emotional.

Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves. ~John Muir

As I ran today, the trails looked different from a month ago. They have embraced autumn and are transitioning towards winter. The trees are bare. They are exposed. They’ve shed there outer layers to survive the winter so they can bloom again in spring. What a perfect time to train for a marathon. This fall and this winter, I’m learning from the world around me. As I run mile after mile, I’m learning how important it is to remain strong and rooted even when I’m exposed. I’m learning that when all my protective layers are shed, my core is strong. I’m learning to bend with the winds. I’m learning, and I know I will bloom brighter come spring.

Post-It

2012 has brought so much change to our family. A lot of change. A new baby. Two new jobs for Christian. Adjusting to being a working mom for me. Cole is changing daily. He’s trending towards teenage years and moving further and further away from simple kid years. Hormones are kicking in (Cole’s and mine). Health worries for our families. Top that off with our favorite things to do – running (me), kayak fishing (Christian – for this month at least), swimming (Cole – for this season at least), and non-stop movement (Chet – hoping he holds off on walking as long as possible). Simply put, it’s a lot. I have had a lot of moments where I needed a deep cleansing out breath.

In the hustle and bustle of 2012, things have slipped through the cracks. I’ve forgotten to send Cole to school with lunch money. I’ve fallen a sleep without saying I love you to Christian. I’ve forgotten to wash diapers. Nothing was planned for dinner. As life has become more emotionally heavy, it’s starting to spill out into other aspects of life. Instead of being consumed by it all, I’m working on focusing what is manageable. But in all this hustle and bustle, I have moments when I start to feel a little less valued at home and Christian has moments when he starts to feel a little less loved. It happens when all the above is going on. It’s not perfect. I can get messy. But we are working together to be more aware.

This brings me to Post-Its –

I planned on writing a collection of I love you most… post-its for Christian. I planned on being sneaky and sticky one in his car or in his lunch. He could find one after work or before bed. I planned on keeping the post-its going for at least a week.

On a Friday night when he was stuck in traffic on his commute home, I pulled them out of my purse. I would stick one on the front door. Cole, my always observant child, asked what I was doing. I told him Christian could use some extra loving, and I thought it would be nice to remind him of all the reasons I love him. My post-it plan just got a new direction. Cole wanted to play a long. He grabbed a handful of blank post-its and started to write all the reason he too loved Christian. He started decorating our entire house. Soon we had dozens of post-its in every room. Chet wanted to play a long too, so in his best baby babble, he wrote a few for Christian also.

It was a hit. I’m certain Christian felt loved when he walked into our house that Friday night.

Last night was another crazy night in our house. Nothing seemed to settle once we were all 4 under the same roof. Chet was exhausted. When he gets tired, he gets noisy and mean. When Chet gets noisy, Cole gets crazy. It’s in these moments that he wants to Open Gundam Style for the 100th time. He wants to ask a million what-if questions. It is sensory overload for anyone in the room. Because I can’t tell Chet to stop, I tend to expect Cole to behave. He is old enough to understand, but it isn’t always fair. He shouldn’t always have to be the one child who can’t have a crazy moment.

That night, as I tucked him into bed later than usual, he looked at me and said I need a post-it. You need a what? I’m not feeling loved. I need a post-it.

So tonight after he goes to sleep, I’ll be tucking a post-it into his book bag. When he gets off the bus, a post-it will be waiting for him on the front door. I’m not sure if I’ve created a monster or a wonderful fun new family tradition….

Either way our family sure is full of love. And I could fill up pack after pack of post-its on why I love all of them. I’m hoping I can start buying them in bulk!

(Proof of the crazy: I published this post with the year as 2013! and seriously couldn’t remember what year it is.)

Plan D

My Saturday morning run was postponed to cheer Cole on at his swim meet. Plan B was to run Saturday evening. Plan B got pushed back by an endless task list that has been ignored for far too long. Plan C was to run Sunday morning. Plan C got pushed back by a baby who was constipated and decided to play (and try to poop) from midnight until 3am. Although my husband was a saint and took over the playing duties, I slept right through my 6am start time. On to plan D since Christian had to work today.

Plan D: Run when the husband gets home.

Around 4:30pm, I headed out the door with Alex by my side. I planned on running two loops. One with the dog and one solo. I also knew I’d need to pick up lights after loop 1 since the sun would be setting.

Speaking of Plan D, my marathon training plan for the week doesn’t even earn a letter except for maybe a F for fail. It fell off the priority list after Tuesday. Being home all week with Chet and not having a weather shield for the stroller prevented me from running during the day. Swim practice prevented evening runs. Life happens and we move on. After not running all week, my legs were eager to run today.

My first few miles were in the 9s and progressively getting faster. I knew I was starting too fast for a long run. I needed to be in the 10s. But my legs wanted 9s so I just kept going. I figured I had a pit stop at the halfway mark. I could regroup and replan for the back half of my run when I dropped off the dog. When I arrived at my house, I had just ran a 9:21 mile.

I left Alex at home. I grabbed my headlamp and reflective vest (since it was now dark out), and I head out for five more miles. Having just ran five miles in the 9s, I wanted to see if I could run 10 with an overall pace of 9:xx. It is, after all, my next half marathon goal. I picked a new route for the back half of my run and headed towards our town center. I figured the energy of everyone who was out on a Sunday night would help push me forward. I ran past couples out on dates and plenty of people sitting by bars in the windows. People were lining up to see a performance at our local theater. I definitely felt their energy – Mile 7, 9:11 pace.

I headed back home for one final loop to Thalia Island, and I knew I just needed to hang on. I was feeling every step of that 9:11 minute mile. My legs were ready for a break. I was also running straight into a head wind that picked up at some point on my run. My miles started to slow down. At mile 9, I glanced at my watch. 9:55 mile. Slower, but still in the 9s! I just needed to make it home.

And I did. I arrived back at my house with 10.13 on my garmin. 1:36:56. 9:34 pace.

I have never run a long run in the 9s.

Something is shifting in my running. While I do feel like I’m getting stronger and that I’m finally seeing the results of nearly a year of consistent training since having Chet, I think my confidence is finally catching up. I think my brain is finally starting to listen to my body. At mile 1, I doubted that I could hold onto 9s for all 10 of my miles today. At mile 7, I knew I had it in me. At mile 10, I was tired and breathing heavy and smiling from ear to ear. Running my speedy 10k a few weeks ago really showed me that I need to trust my legs. As I sit on my couch post run, I’m excited about my running. I’m thrilled by my progress. I’m eager to tackle more. If I ran this pace for 13.1 miles, I’d run a 2:05ish half marathon. I know on race day, I could find 3.1 more miles in my legs.

I’m ready to tackle week 4 of training with my Plan A schedule. And I promise to listen to and to trust my body.