Bri Gaal's Blog

Busy Busy

2012-05-22T11:21:00.003-04:00

Even though traveling with a 5 month old is not ideal, we still all had a lot of fun in Maggie Valley to celebrate our 8th Anniversary. Tassie included - she loved splashing around in the creek behind the cabin. We made it into Asheville a couple of times and enjoyed some delicious beer. Unfortunately, we forgot the delicious beer in the fridge when we left, including a growler of Oktoberfest from the Lexington Avenue Brewery which was oh so good. I hope the cleaning crew appreciated it.

Twins

You are not allowed to crawl yet!

I'm eating ice cream and Logan is belly-to-the-bar. Ummmmm.

Our little Wolverine

Saturday morning I woke up at 4am to drive to New Bern so I could race in a triathlon that is part of the TrySports series. The Twin Rivers YMCA Triathlon went well - although it was weird not to know any of the other racers. I went solo while Marty and Logan held down the fort at home.

Saturday afternoon was spent dying hair and practicing our makeup for Doughman! Like I mentioned in previous posts, we are all about redemption from last years disaster of a race so we are 'angry' and we're 'going goth.' Gone are our pink costumes with bows and here comes lots of black. In keeping with the theme, we dyed our hair black and will be spraying in a pink streak for the race. My hair is already quite dark so the black isn't terribly noticeable, but on Alysia and Kari it is! We'll be taking a lot of pictures so stay tuned to see the whole ensemble.

We are so, so close to getting the 5 minute head start. So far, 3 other teams have gotten that time bonus. We need to raise $1,000 and we are at $820 so if you wanna help us out........click this link!

Tomorrow evening is the first Aquathon if any locals want to have fun doing a low-key cheap event.

What's in a Name?

2012-05-14T14:16:00.000-04:00

The Social Security Administration just released the most popular names of 2011. Logan came in at #20, Martin was #262 and Brianne was nowhere to be found. My name hasn't been on the list since 2005, apparently, when it was ranked #994.

Brianna was on the list at #45. BUT THAT'S NOT MY NAME!!! (I may have a slight issue with people adding that 'ah' on the end of my name)

A lot of you know that I was named after my dad, Brian. Marty (Martin Nicholas) is also named after his dad who is from Hungary (Marton Miklos). Logan is Logan Marton. So we're all in the family.

But where did Logan come from? For me, it was always the boy name I liked. Perhaps from my years of reading The Babysitters Club books, I'm not sure. Marty was all aboard because he has always loved Wolverine and his name is Logan. We didn't really have any debate - I think the conversation went something like this:

Me: "I like Logan for a boy."
Marty: "Me too."

If he were a girl I think there would've been more discussion.

In other news, we had our first open water swim race of the Triangle Open Water Swim Series this past Saturday. It was a gorgeous day with calm water and a great temperature (mid-70's). Logan was with me so I wasn't much help at registration; I sort of stood there and ordered people around. Thank god I have great friends who volunteered to help. I am so lucky.

I did not strap Logan to me so I could swim in the race. We're not at that stage yet ;) I did remember that he actually did do this race last year, though.

Afterwards a handful of us did a nice 40 mile ride on some rolling hills in North Raleigh. It was fantastic.

Tomorrow we're off to Maggie Valley (all 4 of us) to celebrate our 8th wedding anniversary, which is actually tomorrow.

As Marty would say, that is all.

Pics and Stuff

2012-05-11T07:43:00.000-04:00

White Lake is a popular triathlon weekend in NC so there were lots of pictures floating around taken by friends. Here are a few more:


I like this because you can see Jean and Marty taking a picture and Mary cheering me on

Back pictures are great because there's no chance of an ugly running face

If you have any friends on facebook from NC you probably saw a lot of posts about the recent Amendment that was put to vote on Tuesday. The constitution in our state already bans same sex marriage and this amendment would take it a step further and ban civil unions and domestic partnerships. I find it very embarrassing that it passed. A common 'comic' that was posted from someecards read: "North Carolina: where you can marry your cousin, just not your gay cousin" Technically, you can marry your 2nd cousin, but whatever. We're not all so backwoods and ignorant in this state, I promise.

And for the family, Logan has a lot of fun in his exersaucer (or as Marty likes to call it, Mission Control) so here's a short video.

White Lake Sprint Race Report

2012-05-07T11:10:00.002-04:00

Marty had signed up for the White Lake Sprint, but since he has yet to run after hurting his foot in the Cary Duathlon I got to take his entry - not happy Marty is hurt but very happy I got to race :)

We had high hopes of going to White Lake on Friday so we could watch the Half on Saturday, but we just couldn't make it happen. Too busy and too worried about having Logan outside in 90 degree heat for hours on end...we drove down Saturday evening instead.

We stayed in a plush trailer with Erik and Andrea. I'm not even joking, this double wide was nice!! Definitely the nicest place we've ever stayed at there.

When I decided I was going to race this I had an internal debate about whether I should race in the Open/Elite category or age group. I bounced it off Marty who I think half listened and told me to do what I wanted. I've always raced Open in the North Carolina Triathlon Series, but I just am not feeling super speedy right now and didn't want the pressure (which I realize is all self imposed) of starting at the front. I thought it would be more fun to race age group and actually have people around me (the women's open field can be pretty small and get spread out quick).

Here are the results. So you can see that I ended up finishing 2nd overall (to some young stud) and ahead of all the Open girls by just a bit. I sort of feel like a tool for not racing with them as I'm always frustrated when girls don't race open when they should. But looking at the splits I would've had my butt handed to me in the swim and then just started to see people on the run - so that wouldn't have been fun and of course it changes the dynamic of the race. Also, none of my splits are that impressive. My bike is all right, but my swim and run are just kind of eh. I look at them and can't figure out how I got 2nd.

Enough of that analysis! The swim was choppy and wetsuit legal. I didn't really know what I was doing out there and there were kayaks right in the way I guess helping people who weren't doing well in the chop. Even though the wave ahead of us started with a 6min headstart, I still ran into a lot of side stroking men. Got on the bike and felt good. Sort of windy out there but it was fun to keep passing people on the two loop course. Off the bike and onto the run where my legs felt okay but not great. Now that all the little post pregnancy injuries seem to be healed I'm ready to start really running again!

We didn't stick around for awards as the little man and big man were both tired. Next up: DOUGHMAN!! Thanks to all who have donated so far! We have the 2 min lead - can we get the 5 min lead? Maybe! If you'd like to help us get there, please click this link. As you can see, your name will be in lights on the website :)

Heading down with one happy Logan sitting next to me

I have a funny look on my face because I couldn't get by these people - move it!

Logan started off the morning like this

And ended up here

A bit of a sprint to the finish

Race Report!! Riverwood Golf & Athletic Club Triathlon

2012-04-30T10:51:00.001-04:00

Please help Team Victorious Secret get back on the podium on our quest for REDEMPTION in the Doughman race! Click this link to donate to a local Durham charity and get us a head start.

My first triathlon in a year and first race post-Logan is in the books. My last triathlon (where I was 7-8 weeks pregnant with Logan) was almost 1 year previous at the Triangle Orthopedic Sprint. I did a couple of 5K's and open water swims while pregnant but I wouldn't really say they were races so they don't really count. Here are the results if you'd rather just see them and not hear me blah blah blah about the race.

Last year I decided that the Riverwood Sprint Triathlon would be a great first race back. It was a small race, with a pool swim, that was geared more towards beginners. Sign me up. Marty did and put in a really fast pool time which 'earned' me the right to start the race in first position. Let's be clear about something - my swim stinks right now. While pregnant I kept swimming, but pretty much just splashed around and since having Logan I haven't been swimming all that much. Swimming has never been my forte and I'm getting to the pool about 3 times every 2 weeks - this leads to a competent swim, but by no means fast. Anyways, my biggest concern was getting passed in the pool, but luckily the guy behind me was around my speed so in the end I exited the pool still in first position. I hit the wall in just under 4:00 so for 300 yards that is right around 1:20 pace. Oh yeah.

But back up. Racing a triathlon with a baby in tow adds a whole new element to everything. Triathlon is already very gear intensive and then add in a baby and you've got a whole bunch of crap to pack up. I did most of this on Friday so I didn't have to worry about it in the morning. Then of course I have to add in time to pump. Then I got ready, ate, did last minute prep and then got Logan up. Poor kid, who wants to get woken up from a deep sleep at 5:30 am? We were sort of hoping we could transport him right to the car and head out but he wanted to EAT.

We made it to the site in plenty of time, and I had already picked up my packet so no worries there. I had to make sure to fit in another pumping session because I wanted to be sure everything was out before the race. So maybe this is TMI but it's my life right now and it's quite a commitment! But since we're on the subject, this milk factory is beginning it's shutdown this month. My goal was to breastfeed for 6 months which would be Jun 12 -- and I have a bunch stored so I should get there. I am so ready to be done though, and can't wait until I am. Breastfeeding is great and I applaud women who manage to do it for the whole year but I am so over it and will be glad to be done.

Back to the race. My friend and athlete Cari decided to race at the last minute and it was fun to have her right next to me on the rack and in the pool to warmup. It was also handy since she had an extra cap for me when mine broke right when I went to put it on. I did a short jog warm up and the calf felt okay - a bit tight but not debillitating.

So I already talked about the swim. The mat for the split was far away so all the swim times look about :30 slower then they really are. My transition was fine and I decided to put on socks since it was a bit chilly (mid-50's). I always put them on for the run anyways. The 14 mile bike was through rural country roads and it was a bit hilly on the second half. I felt all right - again, my training is super low and my intensity is pretty much non existent so I was very surprised to have the fastest bike time. I had cut my finger the day before and it had opened up and was bleeding all over my hand so I was more concerned about whether or not I had wiped my face with it and now had blood all over myself. If Cari caught up to me I was going to ask her to take a look -- but she never did. So yeah, I can't say I was too focused while I was out there. There were a few hills at the end and I just remember thinking, ooh, these are sort of hard I think I will back off. Race pace also doesn't exist yet :)

Onto the run and this is what I was most worried about since this stupid calf injury has cropped up. Not only had I not been running very much but I had pretty much done only one workout (on the Thursday before the race). Luckily, the calf held up. It was tight but not bad. The run course was nice, on a greenway along a river for a bit, then into a neighborhood and back on another greenway. It was hilly coming back so definitely not a fast course. The last hill before the finish line was a killer and it was impossible to get your speed back up after it.

I can't complain about winning the race - it was so fun and I'm so happy to be back out there. Of course, I'm nowhere near where I was once but I wouldn't expect to be.

And now, pictures.

Getting some extra sleep the night before.

Heading off to set up my junk.

Gearing up to cheer me on

Swim start

Swim finish

Off the bike

Please, calf, don't hurt!

Glad to be done with the hills

Family portrait. Where's Logan?

Getting my award

Best cheering section ever

Two posts in two days!

2012-04-18T12:40:00.002-04:00

Please help Team Victorious Secret get back on the podium on our quest for REDEMPTION in the Doughman race! Click this link to donate to a local Durham charity and get us a head start.

I know, it's crazy I'm actually writing another blog post. But this is just a Logan quickie for the family. 4 month stats: (he's 6 days older than 4 months, but this is when he had his checkup).

Weight: 14lbs 7.5oz (26th percentile)
Height: 25.5 inches (62nd percentile)
Head circumference: 17 inches (89th percentile)

I always think he's finally chunking up but apparently not as much as most babies his age. Tall and skinny with a giant head.

On the Mend

2012-04-17T12:39:00.003-04:00

Please help Team Victorious Secret get back on the podium on our quest for REDEMPTION in the Doughman race! Click this link to donate to a local Durham charity and get us a head start.

Well. My calf is starting to cooperate. I've been doing a hodge-podge of things to get it feeling better including: rolling it with The Stick like a mad woman, stretching a lot, wearing my hot pink compression sleeves under all of my pants, playing with my biomechanics and footfalls, sacrificing a live goat, and drinking tonic from a witches handbook.

They seem to be helping and I've now jogged 2 days in a row with very little pain. Now it's onto a crash course of "Bri needs to get fast in less than 6 weeks" so I can help my Doughman team (I will be doing a run leg. I will never, ever do the bike leg there again).

Honestly, I'm just stoked that I can run without pain again, knock on wood. Anyone who knows me knows that I am a runner at heart, and could take or leave biking and swimming when it comes down to it. Just let me run!

Speaking of, I have a triathlon in less than 2 weeks. That is going to be ugly....and I can't wait!!

I signed up with Instagram which allows you to take pictures on your 21st century phone and make the photo look like it was taken a long time ago. Something is wrong with this premise but the pictures look pretty cool, so I won't dwell on it too much. I'm just learning and here are my first ones:

Logan sleeping in my arms:

Tassie! We haven't forgotten about our daughter.

Logan trying to hold onto his bottle.

REDEMPTION

2012-04-13T16:41:00.003-04:00

Redemption is our theme this year for Doughman. Our outfits are almost set and we are getting excited to compete in this crazy relay event. We are once again raising money to get a time bonus (and the money goes to a local Durham charity Seeds)

$250 gets us 2 minute head start and $1,000 gets a 5 minute head start. We're aiming low this year and going to try for at least the 2 minute time bonus so if any of you want to help us and the charity out please click this link! You can also find out all about the race and the charity at that site. Anything will help - we really want to get back on the podium again!

Logan rolls over

2012-04-08T20:19:00.002-04:00

Hey, when you're not quite 4 months old, this is a big accomplishment.

Back to Normal

2012-04-02T18:06:00.007-04:00

Things have settled down. Logan is almost all better; he still has a bit of a lingering cough but it's not as often and he's eating like a total pig again which is great (even though that means every time we turn around we're feeding him). At 4 months we can try and feed him some 'real' food (rice cereal) so we went ahead and bought some to try maybe this week (he's 16 weeks). After several nights in a row where he woke up in a coughing fit, he seems to be back to sleeping like a champ. Marty put him to bed last night at 8:30 while I was swimming and he's still sleeping now at 7:00 am. Dude can sleep.

He smiles A LOT, but it's so hard to get a picture of it! He's all smile smile smile and then you hold the camera up and he's so serious. We got a bit of video here of him with some small smiles.

On the workout front - eh. I feel like a joe-shmoe fitness person right now. I typically get one workout in a day, but sometimes not, so I'm maybe getting 5 workouts in a week. 5 workouts a week does not a good triathlete make. I jogged on Thursday for 1.5 miles and then again on Sunday for 30min and didn't have any calf pain so I'm hoping I'm over that and can start running again for realz. I've signed up for another triathlon in less than 3 weeks so that is sort of scary.

Monday night Masters works good with my schedule. Sometimes we swim and sometimes we practice synchronized swimming.

We also offer several group workouts during the week for our athletes so I lead those when I can - mostly it's been the biking workouts when I can since running has been non-existent. I'm also trying to make Friday morning masters - Logan comes with.

There are certainly ways in which I could be training more. But a lot of times when push comes to shove, I'd rather hang out with Logan and Marty. I know I'm not going to get these experiences back because he'll grow up so fast (he already is!) and triathlon and racing will always be there. For instance, I could've ridden my bike on Sunday afternoon but instead we decided to have some quality time at our favorite bar, The Flying Saucer.

We joked that if Logan gets a plate on the wall like Marty, we're going to make sure that this picture is in the middle - his first drink at the Saucer! Won't he love that? :)

And before you judge, there were a bunch of kids there on Sunday afternoon.

What a week

2012-03-25T13:47:00.005-04:00

The past 10 days have been quite a ride. One that I'd like to not repeat oh how about ever.

Last Thursday after picking Logan up from daycare I started feeling not very good. Marty was helping out at a track meet and I texted him to tell him...and 30min later I called him to let him know that he needed to come home right away. If you read Marty's blog, you know that we were hit with a nasty stomach bug. Imagine the worst stomach bug ever and that's what we had. Marty followed suit a few hours after I started.

Friday we were both totally incapacitated. aAlthough the violent parts of the bug were over, We were both just wiped out. Luckily, Logan didn't get what we had and he was very chill on Friday and slept most of the day.

Saturday we were both feeling much better although neither one of us had an appetite. We still put on a swim clinic at TAC. Logan started a bit of a cough. One week at daycare and kid is already sick.

Sunday we both got our appetites back. Logan's cough got worse. He also seemed to have lost his voice as when he cried barely anything came out. It was the most pathetic thing ever. We called the doctor and they told us we could give him some children's tylenol for his discomfort, but other than that, just keep feeding him.

Monday he seemed worse. I worked from home and Marty and I took turns watching him. We ended up making an appointment for him, but again, there wasn't much that could be done for such a young baby. You could tell he was pretty miserable, and his weight was now down to the 27th percentile (he had been at the 50th percentile at his 2 month checkup).

Tuesday morning he seemed about the same, but I couldn't stay home from work again, so off to daycare it was. When I picked him up, though, he had really gone downhill. He was pale and his eyelids were red and he was just sort of listless. He was having trouble breathing and they said he wasn't eating well.

I called the doctor again, but it was after hours so I had to wait for someone to get back to me. When the doctor called, he said it sounded like RSV and we should go to the children's ER.

Off we went. They tested his snot (yup) and he did in fact have RSV, which is a super common respiratory virus. We all get it: kids, adults - it's everywhere. In babies, it can be very hard because their immune systems are so immature and their lungs are small. They gave him a breathing treatment but his oxygen saturation was still lower than what they would like, so they admitted him.

We were there from Tuesday evening to Thursday evening and as you might imagine, Marty and I were exhausted by the end of it. Logan is fine - they had him on oxygen and regular breathing treatments. It's what they call 'supportive care' as it's a virus and really you have to let it run it's course.

He still has a wicked cough but is much happier. Our biggest issue at this point is the coughing fits sometimes enact his gag reflex which causes a fountain of milk (pretty much everything he has drunk) to come back up. He lost more weight when I went to see the pediatrician on Friday. We're hoping he can keep most of it down so he can get back up to his normal weight.

Needless to say, I didn't end up doing the triathlon this morning I had planned on. Not only was I way tired, but my calf has been giving me problems and I really haven't been able to run for 2 weeks.

Here's hoping this next week is better.

Also, I still haven't seen The Hunger Games and I really, really want to.

Maternity Leave

2012-03-14T07:33:00.003-04:00

I started back to work on Monday. 13 weeks sure did fly by! At least on one hand - when I think back to Logan being newborn it seems so long ago, but I can't believe my maternity leave is already over. It wasn't so bad going back into the office; I layed low and went through my hundreds of email without anyone really bothering me. Yesterday was more of the same and today I'm off (I'm working Monday/Tuesday/Thursday).

I made Marty do the daycare drop-off on Monday, and it looks like he will do that most times as its just easier while I get ready for work. Last week I had to go there to give them diapers and stuff and I started tearing up then, which is when I knew I would be a basket case if I tried to drop him off first thing - I totally didn't think I would be like that! I guess you never know.

He was super tired after his first day at daycare and for the first time in 3 weeks woke up in the middle of the night. I imagine it will take some adjusting but the next night he was back to sleeping a ton which was great.

I've managed to slightly strain my calf. I guess there really is something to this post-pregnancy-nursing-hormone thing. I was just running easy! On a flat surface! Argh. Hopefully, I can still do the triathlon I'm signed up for in a week and a half.

It's just I love running and the weather has been so ridiculously nice. I can still do other things so I guess I'll have to be okay with getting in shape and not necessarily real triathlon shape for awhile. Since I'm back at work, I can take advantage of the gym on campus. Which I did yesterday. I'm sure I'm very weak in many places that could contribute to all these little niggles that keep cropping up.

And like father like son. Logan is already interested in tasty brews.

few pics and video

2012-03-07T16:27:00.003-05:00

Training

2012-03-01T09:14:00.002-05:00

I'm getting back into the swing of things as far as training is going. I did my first run 'workout' this morning since Marty is down in Florida and we have a group run every Thursday morning. Nothing great, but my heart rate was up and my legs were burning. Today I'm planning on getting out for a bike ride - its going to be 77 degrees and I can't miss out on that! I signed up for a race at the end of the month; an all women's triathlon: Girls Run the World here in Raleigh. There will not be any miracles taking place and I doubt I will be able to hold even a 7min mile for the 2mile run, but I am so excited to get out there and compete again.

How am I able to get this training in right now while Marty is running our camp in FL? Mom-in-law is in town helping me out. It's awesome to have time for myself again.

I am however, incredibly sad I'm not down in Florida with everyone at camp. This is the first time I've ever missed going to one in the past 7 years. Even though I have family down in St. Pete that offered to help, logistically it still seems like it would've been a nightmare with his eating schedule and all things that go with being 11 weeks old. Next year, though, we will make it happen.

Last week I was able to ride the trainer 2 days during the week while Kari came over and watched Logan. This was great because Marty got to keep working, Logan was happy, and Kari and I got to catch up. Even though we may have seen each other the day before, there are always multitudes of topics we can cover. So that was awesome.

We also made it to our first hockey game up here last week and had awesome tickets given to us from one of Marty's athletes. We had our first real babysitter come and watch Logan and she told us he was good. I hope he was so she'll come back :) It was a great game, too - the Canes shut out the Capitals. I really don't know much about hockey but was glad we were close enough so we could actually see the puck and goals and all that. It didn't hurt that our tickets were in the swanky section with comfy seats and free food and drinks.

And lastly, Team Victorious Secret will once again be vying for a top spot at Doughman in May.
Some of you may remember the debacle of last year's race where I flatted on both the front and rear tires while leading and ended up hitching a ride back to the race site. If you have a lot of time and want to read the entire story, you can click here. We had some stressful moments thinking we may not get in this year, but my fast typing skillz got us an entry.

Sleep

2012-02-23T14:56:00.002-05:00

I love my sleep. I love going to bed early and getting a solid 8+ hours.

When you get pregnant, you'll have a lot of people giving you advice. Some of it is very helpful and constructive, but a lot of it is frankly quite negative. From digs at sleeping to not being able to stay active...that was definitely one of the most annoying things I put up with while pregnant.

But I was very worried about my sleep! It's true that towards the end of pregnancy your sleep is bad - lots of waking up to pee and a general restlessness from being uncomfortable. It becomes a production to just rollover at night.

And then the baby gets here and the first 2-3 weeks are HARD. Particularly if you decide to breastfeed because it is all you. Sleeping 1-2 hours at a time is the norm and who can survive very long on that?

We started giving Logan a bottle right around 3 weeks and I started pumping to build up some inventory so others could give him this bottle. That was a huge lifesaver as I could go to bed and sleep for 4hrs or so straight and not have to worry about one of those night feedings.

We haven't tried any sleep techniques, although there are about 100 different variations and books. Luckily, he has progressively gotten better at sleeping longer as his belly has gotten bigger and he can hold more food.

After a few weeks, he was a consistent 3-4hr sleeper, and that grew to 5-6hrs, and we've now gotten more and more 6-7hrs at a time over the past 2 weeks. After the long chunk, he'll go back down for another 2-3hrs. He's also thrown in several 9hr sleeps, and then he wakes up with the driest mouth you can imagine and screaming for his milk.

Unfortunately for me, I can't go 9hrs at this point. If you know anything about breastfeeding then you know what I'm talking about. If you don't know what I'm talking about, don't worry. Prior to Dec 12 I wouldn't have known either. Hopefully, my body will adjust soon so if he does keep stretching those night hours I can go back to getting my own beloved 8hrs.

I'm sure once we've got this down he'll start teething or something and I'll be back to getting up every couple of hours ;)

Unfortunately, he doesn't have as good a hold on the day naps; sometimes he'll nap for a couple of hours and sometimes not at all. Some days he seems to nap all the time. Maybe this will be one of those things daycare helps us out with.

Logan Update

2012-02-15T10:00:00.007-05:00

Logan had his 2 month check-up on Monday. He's 12lbs 2oz and 23 inches long, putting him at the 50th percentile for both height and weight. His head circumference is at the 90th percentile, though. Kid's already got a big head. I guess we should stop telling him he's the cutest baby ever. Har dee har har.

He's got a wicked case of cradle cap, which should go away between now and several months. You gotta love all this weird baby stuff they get. To treat it, you can rub olive oil on his head and then use a soft brush or comb to help loosen the flakes. You never know what he will like (this) or not like (baths), but yeah, he absolutely loves getting his little (big?) head massaged. He almost always goes comatose when I'm doing it. He even likes getting his hair washed after. Go figure.

We're getting lots of cooing and smiles now. It's absolutely adorable.

Here's a picture of him in his Valentine's Day outfit. Tassie is always close by.

Here's another when he was awake and wiggling all over the place in his bouncy seat.

And we've been taking monthly pictures with a big stuffed animal (UNC Ram - from my sister who went there and is a big fan. Any of you who don't like this could've gotten us something different!)

Here he is as a newborn (not quite 1 week). I forgot how orange (jaundice) he was! You can see my mom's hand trying to hold him up.

And here he is at 1 month, still needing a bit of help to stay put. He wasn't particularly happy when we were taking his picture here.

And now at 2 months. Look ma! I can do this myself now!

Overall, he's a very good baby, at least as far I can tell since I have pretty much nothing to compare him to. When he gets fussy, it's usually because he's hungry. Thankfully, he was never colicky, and getting bounced on the stability ball is pure gold. My dad says it's because I ran with him so much when I was pregnant and he likes that motion ;) For the past several weeks he's been in a routine of sleeping a 4hr stretch (breastmilk) or 5hr stretch (formula) at night, then waking up. I'll feed him again and then he'll go back down for another 2-3hrs. We've had a few 6-7hrs stretches over the past 2 weeks so hopefully that is some foreshadowing because it was heavenly! As my sister-in-law said, they don't typically go backwards so at least the nights of 2-3hrs should be pretty much done.

He's also holding his head up much better now so I've been able to get him in the Baby Bjorn with him facing out which he seems to like MUCH better than turned toward me not being able to see anything.

Keepin' it real

2012-02-11T13:54:00.004-05:00

I have 1 month until I go back to work -- it seems like a looming deadline but I know it will be good to get out of the house and feel like a contributing member of society again. I'm going back 3 days a week, too, so that should provide some balance while also not feeling like I never get to see Logan. This past Thursday I went in for the end of our staff meeting so everyone could meet him. While my boss was holding him, he pooped his diaper really loud. Kids have the greatest timing.

I was feeling really great running recently, but then all of the sudden my right knee started hurting so I'm backing off and taking some time to make sure it's okay. I'm sure it is and maybe has to do with off biomechanics or possibly my hips being in a different alignment right now. Logan and I made it to Masters practice again yesterday morning. Fast Friday is very hard with my current fitness, but things are improving. On Tuesday I did 5x200s alternating swim and pull and I was back in the 2:40 range, as opposed to the 3:05+ range I was in just 3 weeks ago when I first got back into the pool.

We went back to the Lovgren's to watch the Superbowl and cheer on the Giants. We bought Logan an Eli Manning onesie and he looked very cute in his little outfit. My grandpa was a sportscaster for the Giants so my family has always cheered for them - he even has his own wikipedia page!

Working really hard to lift his head.

Tomorrow Logan will be 2 months old! And on Monday he goes in for his 2 month checkup where unfortunately he'll be getting several shots.

Update

2012-02-02T08:53:00.005-05:00

I had a typical run-in with Time Warner recently. I decided to skip the phone call and tried their online chat instead. That way I could yell out loud without them actually hearing me. The first representative "Holly" (yeah right) determined that we needed a new box, which meant we needed to go to a Time Warner store front. That took 3 trips.

We hooked the new box up exactly like the old one but of course it didn't work. I was almost positive it had to do with the fact that it was trying to read through 480i and our tv was higher than that, but I couldn't figure out how to adjust the mode without any screen showing. Back to a chat session, with "Vince" (uh huh) who was much slower to help me. I'm pretty sure he was furiously looking through manuals only to come up with the solution that we needed a technician to come out and fix it.

3 days since our cable went out a technician came by and literally clicked 4 buttons and our tv was working. If you read Marty's blog you will understand why not having cable is a really big deal right now. I watched dvd's instead (mostly episodes of Arrested Development, very funny).

My skepticism of their names stems from their sort of off English.

[10:08:59 AM] Holly; Thank you for the information.

[10:09:00 AM] Holly; Since when you have been experiencing this issue?

[10:09:22 AM] Brianne; It probably started the end of last week, maybe Thursday

And

[10:17:48 AM] Holly; If the issue persist again then you can replace the cable box at our
nearest service center for free of cost.

[10:17:58 AM] Brianne; ok

Anyways, the technician was nice and when I asked why they couldn't have told me the buttons to push or why they didn't default to the higher number since that would totally fix the problem he himmed and hawwed a bit. When I suggested it was because then they wouldn't have these easy service calls he grinned.

Tuesday we had a photography session with Logan. My sister had bought me a groupon for a local photographer which was awesome because this is something Marty and I never would have done. We went to Heather Swanner in downtown Cary, and she was fantastic. She was so great with Logan and we had a lot in common with her. She didn't rush us when Logan got hungry and I'm looking forward to seeing the pictures. Here are a few behind the scene scenes.

End of January??

2012-01-26T14:25:00.005-05:00

It's hard to believe that it's already the end of January. We've had a super mild winter (as most have unless you live in the northwest). No snow at all so far this winter. We don't get a whole lot of snow but every year we've been here we've had at least one storm that shuts down the city and closes the schools. It's been nice so I don't feel so cooped up in the house with baby.

Logan is doing great. He is eating like crazy this week so maybe he is going through a growth spurt. Yesterday he wouldn't stop crying unless I gave him more food; I kept thinking he couldn't possibly need more but he proved me wrong! At his last weight check he was the 46th percentile (10lbs 4oz) so he's definitely not a big guy or anything, but we can tell he's putting on a bit of chub now.

I've now run a handful of times and each time feels better and better. Yesterday I made it out to Umstead with Tassie and felt really good. My endurance is horrible which is no surprise, but I'm just glad I felt like I might be getting back towards actually running as opposed to jogging.

I've also swam twice (wow I'm slow) and ridden the trainer once (not only am I slow, but my bum is out of practice sitting on the seat. ow.) So yeah, slowly but surely I'm getting back into the workout scene. Now if only I didn't have to feed the kid all the time I might be able to get out more than 1hr at a time!

Here is Logan after stuffing himself silly:

And he's started smiling...something I've been dying for. I read that no matter the nationality, pretty much all babies start smiling around 6 weeks old. We got our first ones just a few days shy of his 6 week birthday, and I got a huge one this past Tuesday.

Last Saturday we all got out to wine tasting party where Logan was passed around among a bunch of the mother's. He had a great time getting all loved on and I think a couple of them were fighting over who got to hold him. Anytime you all want to come over and hold him so I can get out, feel free ;)

Logan is noisy

2012-01-21T12:34:00.002-05:00

Turn up the volume and listen to our little guy cutting some zzz's.

Baby Update

2012-01-13T15:51:00.004-05:00

I've been enjoying having my mother-in-law here as she has freed up my arms to do other things and sleep more for the past week. It sure has been nice! Marty and I have also been trying to take advantage of the free babysitting and have been getting out as much as possible. Logan's feeding schedule doesn't allow us to stay out for very long, but it's still nice to get out.

Still no real working out except for some walks. I was all ready to swim with our Master's team this morning only to have a dead battery when I went to start the car. Total bummer since we have that free babysitter right now and after I fed him I dumped him in her arms :) Marty had already left since I was going to be a bit late and he had a swim lesson after. Maybe Monday.

He came in at 9lbs 1oz and 21.5 inches this morning at the doctors office. He was 1 month old yesterday - I wonder how old he'll be before he weighs my birth weight of 10lbs 14oz?

Here are some pics:

Fight the power, Logan.

Thriller dance while dressed as a bear.

Jogging?

2012-01-03T12:18:00.003-05:00

I did a bit of walk-jogging on Sunday like I said in my last post - it went...weirdly. I don't know, it didn't feel right and probably only other mothers can understand. But I felt like everything was just going to fall out?? I ended up shuffling and thinking that this was not a good idea and I need to give myself more time to heal up. I know others have run shortly after birth and I just don't understand how that is possible (well, perhaps they didn't have any repair work afterwards?) Anyways, any advice from running momma's would be appreciated :)

So, cute baby picture - here is Logan at 3 weeks old after a walk around the lake.

What's happening

2012-01-01T09:27:00.004-05:00

Last night, the 3 of us ventured to a friends house for a NYE party. We went early and only stayed for a little over an hour but it was nice to get out and see a bunch of our friends. We've been trying to get out as much as possible to keep sane. Logan has been to several restaurants already and if I time it right he usually just sleeps like an angel. The other night we waited too long to get out and then our first eating place was too crowded so he was hungry and screaming before I got my plate. That led to me having to breastfeed him in the car and eat my dinner at home from a carry out package. This week we're going to try a bottle and see how that goes which will really free me up at night (and take care of any situation like that).

At this point, he is very portable. It's not like we have to entertain him, he's just strapped into his carseat. The other night a friend of ours came over to watch him for a couple of hours so Marty and I could go out to dinner and watch the FSU/ND game - that was awesome!

He's gaining weight which is great even though I'm still having a lot of breastfeeding issues. Turns out he had a slight tongue tie (look it up if interested) and he had to get his frenulum clipped. We just did that on Friday so hopefully soon we can work it out where feeding him isn't so painful. He left the hospital at 7lbs 5oz (babies lose weight from birth) and on Friday he was 8lbs 5oz which the doctor was happy with.

Since I have nothing to compare him to, I don't know if he is a good/easy baby or not. Despite what Marty may have you believe, he doesn't cry from 7pm to 1am every night. There is just typically a chunk of time during that period where he is fussy - we can soothe him for a bit then he cries again. A lot of people have told us this is pretty typical for babies in the evening. He does sleep a lot - pretty much it's a feed, maybe a bit of wakefulness, then sleep for 3-4 hours. Sometimes even longer (but not at night yet, dangit).

He loves to get bounced on the ball. Here we are ringing in the New Year. Actually, we weren't. This was around 10pm right before I went to bed.

That's my dad's letter sweater from high school that I'm sporting. Hot, I know.
Also, this picture is huge because Tassie has been totally scared of the yoga ball forever. She's realized that in order to get close to us right now she has to get over her fear, and she's done a pretty good job so far.

I am really itching to start running again. I may do a bit of a walk/jog today and see how it goes. The weather is way too mild to pass this up.

Life as a Mom

2011-12-23T09:18:00.003-05:00

I still can't believe sometimes that I'm someone's mom!

Obviously this blog will be more baby-centered for awhile. Heck, I can't even workout for several more weeks! But in a few months when I can train again it will turn more back into a triathlon/baby blog :) So after 11 days, this is what I've learned about being a mom:

The sleep thing is tough. Newborns are supposed to be fed every 2-3 hours, and this 2-3 hours is from the time of the beginning of each feeding. So if you're feeding the baby every 2 hours, maybe you start at 7pm. He eats for 30-45min, and if you're lucky he goes to sleep. If you're not, he's squawky and alert. But wait, you have to feed him again at 9pm! -- 2hrs later. So when exactly do you get sleep?
I've been feeding Logan on the 3 hour schedule, and pretty much every time at night I have to wake him up to feed - some people have told me to let him sleep, others have said, no he needs to eat a lot. I let him sleep for 4 hours last night before I got up...maybe a little selfishly because that meant I got 3 hours of uninterrupted sleep.
All told, I get 6-8 hours of sleep, it's just all broken up
I don't want to make any assumptions, but he seems like a good sleeper right now. He is only 11 days old, and I'm sure this will change over the coming weeks.
I did get to experience some projectile poop and then a fountain of pee right after yesterday morning. Hi mom!
I am doing most of the legwork right now since Marty obviously can't breastfeed. I'm not going to wake him up just to change a diaper. There's no reason for both of us to be sleep deprived. But once I can start giving him bottles you'd better believe he'll be doing some nighttime feedings.
Even though I do a lot right now, I think I have a bit of an advantage since Marty works out of the house for the most part. So if I need to take a shower, I can. I'm not totally chained to the baby like some moms who's husbands have to go somewhere for work.
Speaking of, I even got out for fro-yo with my girls the other night. Marty took care of squawky baby - he seems to be most disgruntled in the evening. This can last for a short time or several hours. I'm not talking about hours of crying, just hours of wakefulness with bursts of crying and not liking anything we do.
Also, breastfeeding hurts! I don't care that everything I read online said it's not supposed to, that's a bunch of bs. Probably he didn't have the greatest latch at the beginning which contributed to the problem, but now it's pretty good and it still hurts. A lot of mothers have assured me that after 2-3 weeks it gets better. I'm really hoping it does because I definitely want to continue. Even though it means I get not much sleep and Marty sleeps like a baby (a baby who sleeps through the night, at least). A friend pointed out to me that I must be doing something right if he has several wet diapers a day, he has bunches of wet diapers.
My weight has literally fallen off. I weighed myself this morning and I'm only 5lbs over my pre-pregnancy weight, and my exercise has consisted of several walks with Logan in the Bob around the lake in our neighborhood. Things are different, though, like my belly although I only have a bit of pooch right now, is super soft, like dough. I can't wait until I can do some core to help that tighten up.
Tassie is doing fantastic. She hangs out with me when I feed him, seems concerned when he's crying, and gets very excited to see him in the mornings. Like wiggly and want to lick him all over excited. Logan, for his part, doesn't seem to mind.
I'm getting lots of reading done on the kindle while feeding him. If anyone has awesome books recommendations, send them my way
I am continually amazed that Marty and I made this little guy!

Baby Makes 3

2011-12-18T13:00:00.007-05:00

I know I have been delinquent in getting an update out, but I feel like I have so much to say and it's now overwhelming. It's actually not because I'm sleep deprived and exhausted, just haven't had the mojo to write something. But after some prodding from Marty, (Bri, when are you going to make a blog update) I figured WTH.

Soooooo, quick birth story. If you're interested in the gory details, you can email me - I have no problem talking about it but don't really want it all out here on the world wide web. Sunday afternoon I started having contractions. We went to The Mellow Mushroom for a last supper then came home and watched movies. By about 3am the contractions were extremely painful and my water broke. I got Marty up and we went to the hospital where I immediately ordered an epidural. It took quite awhile for the doctor to get to my room and administer it (a couple of hours) and man those few hours without anything hurt. I don't know why anyone would NOT get one! Because once I was hooked up I was able to sleep for awhile. By 11:30am I was fully dilated and ready to push this baby out. That took a long time (2hrs) and with a little help from a vacuum, Logan Marton Gaal was born at 1:44pm on 12/12/11 weighing in at 7lbs 13oz and measuring 19.5 inches.

Marty and I are figuring things out. Up until Monday, neither of us had changed a diaper! It's been helpful having my mom and sister here - really nice to have others give us advice and help out. Newborns sleep a lot so that part hasn't been so bad. I'm not counting on it lasting forever, though. The hospital was the worst as far as trying to rest! Always someone coming in constantly waking you up to do something or ask some question - it was nice to come home on Wednesday.

I can't do any real working out except for walking for quite some time, which is fine so I can just concentrate on Logan and doing what needs to be done for him. Exciting times ahead for sure!

Our little glow worm: