Feeling Better & Trying to Pull-Up

So, here is the update:
Cheyenne had a fever that kept going up and down, but I think the worst part of the fever broke last night. At 10:30, when I was already in bed, she started. When I went to her, she was HOT and sweaty, so I took off her clothes and swapped out her heavy blanket with a lighter one. Within 10 minutes, she was asleep and didn't wake up again, until 2 am. So, I walked to the other side of the house, patted her on the back and she feel back asleep.

Here are some pictures I took of her yesterday evening. She's trying to pull herself up.

See, she seems happy considering the fever.

Who needs toys when you have a basket?

What a silly look.

On and Off Throughout the Night & Nutrition Watch

Since returning back to work, Cheyenne has been great about sleeping through the night. Occasionally, she’ll cry out in the wee hours, but I don’t mind too much because typically it’s a diaper change or an adjustment. Not a problem.

That’s the way it normally goes, however last night she kept Trey and I up --off and on throughout the night. It started at 2 am. Between 2 to 4:30 am she had two feedings and one diaper change. At 4:25 am I gave her Orajel and that did the trick and by 4:30 am she was sleeping and my alarm went off to get ready for the day. Sigh.

I dropped her off this morning at Leah’s, only for Trey to pick her up a few hours later. Apparently, Chey is running a low-grade fever and Trey would rather have her at home monitoring it, in case it gets worse. Sounds like a new tooth is coming in.

On the topic of sleep:
I don’t get the recommended 8 hours each night. I usually get 6. Well, last week I decided I would give the 8-hour sleep a try. So, far it’s been difficult. Since, I’m cranking up the mileage each month with running, it’s important that I make sleep a priority. I don’t want my immune system to be vulnerable because I’m neglecting rest.

Another area I’m watching is my nutrition. It seems like with me nursing Cheyenne and adding more miles to my training, I’m so hungry all the time! I feel like I’m constantly eating and I can’t get enough. It’s annoying and embarrassing. I think I’m going to try to eat more dense foods that will keep me full. Carbs? Whatever it is I need to change something.
-------------------------------------------------------------

I just heard from Trey and he would like me to come home. Chey's not interested in eating and she's being "moody." Poor baby.

Her Personality is Shining Through

I take a bazillion photos of Cheyenne and it may seem like I post every single one, but I don't. Sometimes, when Trey and I are bored, we'll go through these pictures of Chey and have a good laugh. I've started a whole folder dedicated to the silly faces of this girl.

The two pictures below, are my absolute favorite. And this was taken moments before we left the hospital. She looks so mad.

Where are you taking me?

Do I have to go?

Check out my signs

Where am I?

Don't touch me!

Get this off of me...now!

Hmmmm

Take it easy on the coffee

What's up?

Say What?

Get me out of here!

You talking to me?

Seriously, you talking to me?

Daddy....


As long as she's making silly faces, I'll be on standby with my camera.

The Joys of Motherhood

Trey normally gets Cheyenne undressed for bath time. Well, last night he was busy writing an email, so I told him, I would do it. As I was carrying Cheyenne (naked) to the bathroom, I felt a warm liquid on my stomach....She peed all over me!

I screamed, she cried, and Trey laughed.

I'm sure Trey was thankful for writing that email that couldn't wait.

On the Move

One of our neighbors is letting us borrow a baby walker. I thought I'd let Cheyenne feed herself while she was in it---big mistake. She made a mess on herself, the walker and the floor.


Cheyenne is really getting fast at crawling. She's still doing the whole army crawl. She crawled from the kitchen to the mudroom in no time. I told Trey she is trying to escape from us.

Friends in Town: My Favorite People

Linda and Steve came to town this weekend. We spent the weekend catching up, running, shopping, and eating good food. Trish drove into town, from Abilene to surprise Linda and we also met up with Nick and Allison.

Nick introduced us to a new restaurant (well, it's new to us), Red, Hot, and Blue: Memphis Style BBQ. And the highlight of my shopping experience, buying a suit jacket orginally priced at $168 and getting it for $32---it's amazing. Trey's response when I told him: "You bought another jacket?" What? It's true, I have a weakness for jackets. Other than the shopping experience, another big highlight for me was running with Linda. I enjoy the solitude of running, but this time, it was nice to have someone to talk to for the hour and forty-five minute run.

Cheyenne could care less about the camera. She wanted to look at Rusty.

Steve goes to OSU, so we decided to wear our Texas clothes. I don't think Cheyenne was feeling it. We want to go to the Texas game there in Stillwater.

Cheyenne got lots of attention this weekend and everyone passed her around. She loved it!

We went for a six mile run Saturday morning, at a diferent part of Trinity Trail---that I had never ran before. I love discovering new trails. It breaks up the monotony. I wanted to pick a scenic route because I know Linda and Steve may move here in a few years and I really wanted to show them the best of Fort Worth.

This was right off the trail.

Here is an old picture of us in High School. Nick and Linda are there to the left, Trish is in the middle and I'm carrying Trey to the right. I think this was Linda's 16th birthday party.

Growth Chart

We've started a growth chart against the wall, in Cheyenne's closet.

She looks just like her Daddy.

"Look at me grow!"

I think we might have a gingerbread kid..... :)

Trey can deny it, but that looks like red hair to me.

Love the chin!

Post Production Suite: The Ten Year Plan

I really enjoy what I do. It's fun and it challenges me. But lately I've been thinking about my dream job-or maybe where I see myself in the future.

For me, that would be working from home as a full-time video editor. I could set up a post production suite in my house and it would be FANTASTIC. Clock-in as early as I want (because I'm more productive in the morning) and get off early. That is my ultimate dream job..........I could and would do that. Maybe, that can be part of the ten year plan.

Back to the real world, things at my real (not make believe job) are great. I've picked up several video projects that I will complete before the fall semester. Be looking out for those on my work blog, in the next month or two :)

After given birth to Cheyenne, my main goal was to have balance between work and home life and so far it hasn't been a problem. However, there are evening when I have a little bit of guilt, but I think that's common with most working mom's.
            

Making Cheyenne Giggle

When Pillows Attack!


For some reason, every time I'd say, "Put 'em Up," Cheyenne would bust out laughing.

Running and Rewarding Myself with Blueberry (Honey) Muffins

This weekend was busy and it was hard to stick with my normal running schedule. I missed my long run, a few days ago, so this morning I made up for it. Now, this will throw the rest of my workout schedule off for the rest of the week.
               
About an hour after my run, it started rainning and it's been off and on ever since. It's a nice day to be home.

Oh, I wanted to share this recipe, the official recipe name is Whole Wheat-Blueberry Muffins. I made it this morning. Erin went out of town a few weeks ago and brought back some fresh honey. Mmmmm! So, I thought I'd try this, Betty Croker recipe. The muffins weren't as sweet as I thought they'd be, but they were still good. I also found a whole wheat chocolate chip recipe that I can't wait to try.

2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup fat-free (skim) milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey
1 egg
1 cup Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1 cup Gold Medal® whole wheat flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup Cascadian Farm® frozen organic blueberries (from 8-oz bag), do not thaw

1. Heat oven to 400°F. Spray 12 regular-size muffin cups with cooking spray, or place paper baking cup in each muffin cup. In small bowl, mix brown sugar and cinnamon; set aside.
2. In large bowl, beat milk, oil, honey and egg with spoon. Stir in flours, baking powder and salt just until flours are moistened (batter will be lumpy). Gently fold in blueberries.
3. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups (cups will be full). Sprinkle with brown sugar mixture. Bake about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove from pan.

Weekend in Arlington

Here are some pictures from Six Flags.
We took turns watching Cheyenne, so we all had an opportunity to ride the rides. The best ride out there is The Titan. I didn't want to ride it, but Justin insisted and now it's my favorite.

Cheyenne relaxing in the stroller. We took her carrier too, so if she wanted to nap, she could. The entire time we were out there, she only took a 45 minute nap. She was really into watching the people. She was talking and squealing the whole time.

And Friday evening, shortly after I got off of work we went to the Texas Rangers game with Tim.


We went to the observing deck to get a view of the Cowboys stadium.

Texas Chutes

Here is a video clip of Natasha and I at Six Flags. She was freaking out on this ride.

Well, I put Cheyenne in bed for the night and she is out! If I'm lucky maybe she'll sleep in past 8 am.

Six Flags

We spent the day at SF. Sooo much fun! Cheyenne did great, but when
she saw the bird she started crying. She is going to sleep like a
baby, tonight.

Texas Rangers Ballpark

We're at the game and enjoying the summer weather. It's really not
that bad. Cheyenne is at Sam and Sean's. She is probably getting ready
for bed time. This is going to be a fun weekend, tomorrow we have
family coming in.

Daycare Adventures

Leah posted pictures online, I thought I would share with you.
Cheyenne is the only baby looking at the camera. No surprise.

"I've got a plan to get out of here...and you're coming with me."

She's thinking: "Miss Leah, whatever you do, don't let my mommy see me with a pacifier."

Story Time with Timothy

"I would like to see the pictures."

Red Face

Letting Off Steam

This evening, Cheyenne insisted on grabbing my bag of chips. She likes the noise it makes. She was really enjoying herself, but then after a while, her joy turned...you'll see.....

As you can see, she's doing the army crawl. This past Saturday, is when she first started gaining ground. I was in the kitchen and she crawled all the way from the living room rug, to where I was standing, near the island. Pretty soon, she's going to lose those baby rolls, I love so much :(

These Shoes Weren't Made for Walking

           
Last month, I set out a plan to start training for a half marathon. The plan is to go slow---gradually building miles every month. Last months training went well; I ran over 50 miles.

I realize I will have to modify the training, so I won't burn out. Originally, I was thinking I could run 7 miles (for my long runs every week this month), but the truth is I need to change that to every other week. Saturday I ran 7, so that means this Saturday I'll aim for 6 and the following go back to 7. For my other 2 runs during the week, I'll still aim for 4 miles minimum.

It seems like the hardest part of training is sticking to the cross training. I really need to start lifting weights. If anyone has free weights collecting dust, I'll take them off your hands. But I have to admit, picking up a 16 lb baby is getting me by--for now. Also, now that I'm running more miles off of the treadmill I want to start running with the camel pack. I believe 6 miles is the minimum I can run without a water break and running 7 miles, Saturday, without H20 was just craziness on my part.

A note about my shoes:
I absolutely love running in my Merrell's! They are my first choice on my long runs and for the short runs, I usually grab the Brooke's.

Here is the playlist for my next run. I downloaded quite a few songs from Chevelle. That seems like the perfect music to pump me up.

Compost in Action

A week and a half worth of kitchen waste. It's going in the compost bin and staying out of the landfill.

The food seems to be breaking down nicely. I make it a point to go out once a week to turn and water the pile. I went out this morning and almost melted in the heat.

I think it needs more grass clippings and it still needs some manure.

Sunday Afternoon

This afternoon, I went to Celeste's baby shower. Trey and Cheyenne
spent time together while I was away.

Breakfast on Her Shirt

This is why I don't like for Cheyenne to feed herself.

Well, it could be worse.

Bananna hands

I've got to teach her how to use a fork, FAST. Like that's going to happen anytime soon....
I have to admit, it was nice to make coffee and breakfast without having to go back and forth to tend to her. She was a happy baby with food all over her.

Early this morning, I went for a 7 mile run. I woke Cheyenne up before sunrise to feed her, then I put her back to bed, and then I ran out of the house by myself--she stayed behind with Trey. I ended up near the lake and discovered a new trail. Maybe next weekend, I'll run it. Before this run, 6 miles was the longest distance I had ever logged. I have more to write about running, but I'll save it for another post.

Here's a picture of the Lake. I took it this morning, while it was still cool outside. I didn't see a lot of people, but I did see a handful of cyclist.

By the way, we're not going to be in Abilene this weekend after all, but continue to pray for our family as we deal with the loss of a loved one. Thank you.

Sofa Fun

The top 2 questions, strangers ask, about Cheyenne:
1. What's her name?
2. Did she cry when she got her ears pierced?

Prayer Request

Trey's grandfather passed away last night. Please pray for our family at this time. Thanks.

We will be in Abilene this weekend.

Fireworks

We are Tired

Last night we went out to Eula to watch fireworks. We got back to
Abilene late---Cheyenne stayed behind, we didn't want to have her out
that late. I was so tired last night, I feel asleep on the drive back.
I have a video of the fireworks, I will post later. We're having lunch
with the Faulkner's and then heading back home.

Quality Time

We've had a great 4th of July day. This morning, I went for a run at
ACU and it was HOT. I had to cut my run shorter than I planned. Right
now, Trey and I are trying to figure out what we're doing this
evening. I hope we get to see some fireworks. Happy 4th!

Yummy Crackers

Cheyenne has discovered crackers.

Transition to the Convertible

Last weekend, we made the full transition to the new convertible car seat. At first Cheyenne would cry. I don't think she appreciates it when I wake her up from her cat naps when we arrive at our destination. Sorry.

I can tell she misses her carrier and the good ole days when she use to fall asleep in the car and we would simply snap the carrier out. Earlier this week, I think we made progress because she didn't cry when I snapped her in.

One thing about the ELEMENT:
It's real interesting getting her in and out because the SUV doors swing out from the inside (suicide doors) and the seats sit back....
Seen here:

So, when we put Cheyenne in and out of the car seat we kind-of-have-to do some wiggling and maneuvering, to make sure we don't bump her head.

A Party in my Mouth!

Yesterday, we celebrated Leah's birthday in Southlake at
The Melting Pot. It was ladies night and we all left the husbands and kids and had a good time.



In the parking lot we spotted a new Camaro, the owner was nowhere in sight, so I tried getting a picture beside it. The picture didn't turn out, but there were these older women who the car obviously didn't belong to and they were sitting on the hood taking turns--taking pictures of each other-------Seriously? I know the car is nice, but come on.