Runny Nose Baby

Cheyenne has had a runny nose since yesterday and it seems to be getting worse. This evening, she developed a nasty cough. I'm just hoping she gets to feeling better by tomorrow morning. We have her humidifier going again and we put some Baby Vapor Rub on her chest. I hope that clears her up.

Puree Batch for Chey & Granola Bars for Me

The entire morning and afternoon, I've been in the kitchen. Cheyenne was low on fruit puree, so I figured I'd make her a peach, banana (not pictured) and strawberry puree, while she napped.

I also made homemade granola bars. These are going to be delicious with hazelnut or french vanilla coffee.


I wanted to make my own or at least try it for a while because I have a hard time decrypting the back of most granola bar labels. Plus, most of them have a weird after taste--I'm assuming it's all those perservatives so they'll have a longer shelf life. You know, I have to say...I really like Cascadian Farm's products, they don't really leave an after taste, but my main grocery store does not consistently carry them.

Anyways, I usually go through two bars a day at work and this recipe yeilds ten; perfect. Now that I know I can make a good batch, I'm looking forward to modifying the recipe. Maybe next time, I'll do peanut butter and chocolate chips. Also, if you have a birthday coming up, don't be surprised if you get this as a gift. I hope you like granola too. Here is the link to the original recipe. It's from the Planet Green Network and famous chef--Emeril Lagasse. I changed my batch and substituted 1 cup of dried cranberry's in place of dried raisins and dates.

On a side note:
This morning I went to the fridge and glanced at my workout calendar. I looked at today's date and this is what I found.
In case you're wondering, RIB stands for Running/Inside/Brooks.

Creeper Crawler & Running an 8 Miler

Cheyenne is still creeping, but she's trying to crawl. She can take her time, I don't mind.

Amy, gave us Angelica's old toy and Chey loves playing with it. She also loves to lift it, shown in this picture.

Today she's been a little snotty, so I'll probably set up her humidifier.
Some of the latest things she's doing
-Going from her stomach to sitting on her bottom
-Waving Goodbye
-Clapping her hands
-Says Da-Da (she's been doing that one for a while). She doesn't really say mama.

So, we had a great weekend. Friday we did pizza and a movie. I watched a chick flick (Bride Wars), while Trey prepped his fantasy football team. He couldn't take looking at Kate Hudson's bangs for 90 minutes. Really.

After the movie I went straight to bed because Saturday morning I woke up before the sun came up and headed to the trail. The weather was perfect. I think it was 68 degrees. So, I ran from my house to a nearby parking lot where I met a friend, Liz, and we ran a total of five miles together, but roundtrip for me equaled eight miles. She didn't want to run the full eight with me, but I'm sure soon she'll be able to. Last week, I ran 8 miles, by myself, at 1 hour and 25 minutes and running with Liz I ran 1 hour 30 minutes. Even though my time this weekend wasn't on track, it was nice chatting with another runner. It definitely made an hour and a half fly by, that's for sure.

I'm Gellin'

I'm now carrying gel packs on my runs. If you've never heard of gel packs, they are energy packs filled with carbohydrates and electrolytes. Basically, it's like drinking an energy drink, but instead of liquid it's goo....in a small portable pack--and it's a healthy dose of goodness for a tired runner. I usually stuff them in my shirt or shorts, when I go out for runs. Most of them taste horrible, but they absorb quickly in the bloodstream and they are ideal for distance running.

I've tried one big-name brand, which helped me keep up my energy, but currently I'm trying out a brand called Monavie. My boss is a distributor and gave me a dozen packs. So, I'm giving them a try. Compared to the other brand, this Monavie stuff taste great, . Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to give me a noticeable boost, in comparison to the other stuff. I've only gone through half the pack and I will continue to use them until they run out. We'll see how it goes. Either way, I will continue to use gels, but lean towards the brands made for athletes.

More on Running:
I recently read two great articles about the real cost of running. I found the story even more interesting because the articles were two different perspectives from a Runner's World writer and a contributor to NPR's Marketplace Money.

Runner's World -- View on the Cost of Running
Marketplace -- View on The Cost of Running

These are the things I think about, even as I run...
I think, what else could I be doing?
I could be spending more time with Trey....
Or with all this time and energy I could be volunteering....
Or instead of running I could maintain my flower bed
The list never ends, but I continue to run and I will continue to do so.... because it makes me happy and it keeps me healthy.

Food Promotion

I found a 2nd tooth! So, now that Cheyenne is getting older and has teeth, I've started introducing more finger foods. I gave her a big slice of apple. She really enjoys feeding herself and I enjoy it too. I'm still making her food and loving it. It takes more time than I would like, but at least I know what she's getting is nutritionally good for her. I also find myself snacking on her food. In fact, I want to get some popsicle molds so I can make peach popsicles.



About Work and Running
So, this first week of school has been busy, but good. Last semester started off stressful and that's kind of what I was expecting this week, but so far it's been easy-going. When I get home from work, it would be so easy to not run. Yesterday, was my rest day and that's exactly what I did. After I put Cheyenne down for the night, I sat on the couch ate chocolate and vegged in front of the tube. This evening I will be back to my normal training. 4 miles tonight.

I still need to get more hours of sleep. I'm typically running on six hours of sleep and I really need to buckle down and get more. No amount of coffee can make up for the lack of sleep.

9 Month Check-Up

I took this photo during the tour. I love how happy she is.

Well, today was Cheyenne's 9 month visit. She got one shot and weighed in at 19lbs. We have to take her again, next month, for another shot and at that same visit she may receive the swine flu vaccination; if it's available. The doctor recommended that Trey and I get flu shots. I hope we all stay healthy this fall season. There is so much hype surrounding this flu season.

Other than that, I'm mentally preparing myself for another semester. It will be good to see college students on campus again. I know our department will be extremely busy the first two weeks of school. Here we go.

Bigger in Texas

Family came into town and Saturday we toured Cowboys Stadium. It looks great! Trey went to the first preseason game Friday night with the boys and then yesterday we all toured the stadium. We were so impressed with the venue, we decided to get tickets to the first official game of the season. We are very excited and looking forward to going and watching Dallas play the Giants. So, far it's just Trey and I, but anyone who wants to join us, you are invited.







The Party Pass Area





Off the Sideline



A very nice locker room






Tony Romo's Locker

The Press Room

Grilling Burgers

We are grilling and maybe watching a movie later tonight.

It's Not in the Garage Anymore

Remember....that headboard Trey had been working on for the guest bedroom? I mentioned it months ago....Well, we finally have it mounted in the guest room. It's not painted, but at least it's not sitting against the wall in the garage. I have so many things I want Trey to make for the house. I still would like some laundry bins. He does good work.

Cheyenne's hair is growing like crazy. She looks a little shaggy. Another thing about her hair, I think it's kind of funny when people tell me we have the same hair color. Well, it depends on the lighting......



We wanted to show off her tooth. If you squint and turn your head ever so slightly you can see it.

It's hard to see her tooth in this picture.

A Big Difference

In the last week, I've noticed it's been getting darker a lot faster.
This is not a good thing for me, since I enjoy running past eight
o'clock. Fall and winter will be here in no time, so I guess I better
get use to the treadmill because I'm not a fan of running once the sun
sets.

A More Moderate Approach

This time last year, we really went to town watering our yard. You should've seen that bill, it was astronomical. But we had really green grass. This year, we decided to take a more moderate approach. It's been dry this summer, but the grass is fairly green.

The bars represent water usage per month.

Chey is 9 Months @ The Botanical Gardens

She didn't want to smile for me.

Reaching out for my hand



We had a flat in the baby jogger, so I grabbed the back up stroller.







After we took pictures, I noticed a rash all over Cheyenne's body. It really freaked me out, since she the last few days she had been running a fever. I called the doctors office and they we able to see her this afternoon. The diagnosis: Roseola. It's non-contagious. Hopefully, the rash will disappear by tomorrow. She has the okay from the NP to go back to daycare.

Well, we've had a day....with fussing and teething to last minute doctor visits---I'm looking forward to ladies night, this evening.