Snowboarding

I learned how to snowboard about 12 years ago.  It's been about 3 years since I've last been snowboarding down a real mountain though.  There was an attempt to ride down the fake snow in Dubai but the facility was under reconstruction when we went last year (was that only just LAST year?!) and riding down the fake snow in Tamworth, England doesn't count....that's like a 50 ft. hill.  The story goes that I left Colorado smack in the middle of winter of '09-'10 and had only gone about 3 times by then (a bit resentful that I didn't get my money's worth out of my season pass but oh so worth it).  Then the next winter we were in India and this last winter, well, I was a tad knocked up.  So I've been psyching myself out for this season.  I haven't subscribed to any sort of physical regimen.  I've done some squats and sit-ups here and there but we all know that didn't do anything.  So I was prepared for some jelly legs.  The Wednesday before Thanksgiving Glen took off of work so we could go play up in the mountains.  Hoo boy is it a different ballgame getting ready with a husband and a baby!  Long gone are the days where I'd just throw my gear in the car and put on some long underwear and GO!  There is way more planning that has to go into preparing your baby for the day, not to mention, preparing my boobs for the day.  Oy! 

After a few hours we finally arrived at Keystone.  Traffic wasn't bad.  We desperately tried to find a babysitter for the day but it turns out, other people have lives too.  So we were stuck with childcare at the resort.  The facility was beautiful and so kid friendly.  Lucky for us there is a price to pay for said beautiful facility.  Thankfully the staff were super nice to us and our precious kiddo.  I can't say that the 85 smackeroos were worth it but what I can say is that I had a stress free 4 hours on the mountains with my honey and Poppy was a happy camper when we picked her up.  See, it was the first time I've ever dropped her off at any sort of day care.  Poppy was absolutely fine, it was mama that had the separation anxiety and the tears!  Where did the tears come from?  Am I normal???  

I recently heard on NPR that snowboarding was originally called "snurfing".  Sounds funny but totally appropriate.  I'm glad they changed it though, it sounds less dorky now.  Anyways, we jumped on the gondola as I was way too nervous to get on a lift (the dreadful dismount always has me worried no matter how experienced I am!).  It was a gorgeously sunny day and there were a few lifts open.  Stupid me decided it's ok to head down a blue run first.  I made it with Glen's patience and with my calves burning from hanging out on my toe edge a little too long down some of the steep bits.  A few falls and a green run later in the day I was already to call it quits.  My body was exhausted and my ego a little bruised (not to mention my back side).  It felt good to rally but I was happy to get down and cuddle my little girl.  I hope we get another day or two in before our very special visitors from England arrive at Christmas for their very own snowboarding trip.  Gotta' make the season pass worth it this time! 

6 months of awesomeness

I know a cute little peanut who turned 6 months old today.  At the risk of sounding trite, as I'm sure all parents think this...I can't believe how fast time is flying by.  Just 6 months ago we were planning and preparing for this precious little person to come into our lives.  And now that she's here, life is all the more richer.  I wasn't actively blogging at the time....pregnancy was happening, work was happening, the move was happening, the settling in was happening.  Part of me wishes I documented that time a little better but it is what it is and here's a catch up:

My pregnancy was by far the coolest experience I've ever had.  I am astounded at what my body is capable of doing.  It was an average pregnancy.  I was sick and lethargic the first trimester, felt fabulous (that's when we moved) the second trimester, felt like a whale the third trimester, and I loved every back breaking, ankle swelling minute of it.  I craved cinnamon rolls.  Perhaps that's what the extra 15 pounds hanging around is.  Oh and chocolate milk...as soon as we set foot on American soil I could not get enough chocolate milk.  Thank goodness that phase has passed.  

While Glen and I were busy mixing our respective household furniture together, we both kept focused on the baby's nursery.  That is the only room in the entire house that is fully furnished and decorated.  We gave up on the rest.  As I mentioned before, we are renting and didn't feel like pouring our hearts into this place.  Funny when you think about a baby's nursery though.  It's really for the parents isn't it?  The baby doesn't care if it sleeps in a laundry basket or a thousand dollar crib.  It wants food, snuggles, and love.  Ok, that was a tangent...

Poppy's due date changed from May 1, which is her paternal grandmother's birthday, to April 29.  Because of my 'advanced maternal age' my ob/gyn wouldn't let me go much past my due date.  We scheduled an induction for Thursday May 3rd.  May 1st I started having contractions at 11am.  I was in an Asian grocery store with my mom.  She was trying to get a bunch of shrimp at the deli counter when I heaved myself on the shopping cart to brace myself from the pain.  Mom was not much comfort during this time...in fact she went into a panic as if I was going to have the baby right then and there.  Can you imagine that?  A hysterical Asian woman in the Asian grocery store, trying to deliver her granddaughter at the deli counter. Anyways, I got in the car and drove home, through a few more contractions.  Mom called Glen to come home from work.  I was supposed to go watch a matinee, Magic Mike, with my good friend Jenessa.  Instead, she got a redbox movie and we watched it at our house while I labored.  By 4pm I had had enough.  We were given the ok to head to the hospital which thankfully was only 15 minutes away.   I was only 3 cm dilated but my water had broken so they kept us.  I was apprehensive of being told to go back home and return later.  I don't believe much in the hype of a birth plan.  You don't really know what you can handle until you actually go through it.  And every woman is different and every birth is different.  I thought I would try to go natural for as long as I could take it.  But little munchkin was pushing hard on my bottom and I was losing focus.  I didn't see much point in trembling and screaming so I asked for an epidural.  The nurses tried 6 times to establish an IV before they called in the anesthesiologist.  By then it was 7pm.  I didn't get an epidural until 7:30pm.  I felt all the pain I needed to feel.  After the epidural kicked in I was much more calmer and Glen wasn't worried about me as much.  But I was also exhausted at that point so I slept.  From 10pm to 11pm I felt major pressure going on and my nurse had said I went from 5cm to 10cm in that time.  She told me to wake the hubby up, I was ready to push.  I was amazed at how the epidural felt.  I had misconceptions about it prior to having one.  I thought my legs would feel like tree trunks and that I wouldn't feel a thing.  It turns out I could still feel the contractions, it just took the edge off.  And I could move my legs.  I didn't have much control but I could flop them around.  Anyway, I pushed hard for an hour...I was really trying to have her on her Grandmas's birthday...I mean, what a cool gift, right?  Sweet little Poppy had her own way though and she came into the world at 12:04am May 2nd.  One contraction later.  

Much to our surprise she was only born 6 lbs. 12 oz.  We were expecting a far bigger baby as Glen was a 10 pound baby and so was I.  At 3 weeks old she was trying to hold her head up.  Just before 4 months old she was log rolling across the room.  Yesterday she started crawling, one hand in front of the other before doing a face plant.  It's been an eventful 6 months.  Daddy almost sat on her when we brought her home.  He frequently forgets that she's in the car when we go to the store.  Poppy had her first emergency room visit at 2 weeks old, while her Daddy was away on a business trip.  What I thought was hematemesis (bloody puke from an upper GI bleed) turned out to be blood from my nipple that wasn't visible to the eye.  She started sleeping through the night at 6 weeks of age but recently has started waking up 2 - 6 times a night.  Mommy and Daddy are grumpy.  She rolled off the sofa at 3 months old (never got over that one).  She's been to both coasts....got sand between her toes in California and also felt the Pacific Ocean.  She visited the Statue of Liberty and Ground Zero.  She's not a fan of long road trips but doesn't mind flying.  She likes rice cereal and avocados.   She doesn't have any teeth yet.  She loves bathtime.  She hates getting her 2nd arm into her shirts (I'm thinking of going into redesigning clothes for infants).  She adores Kona and mirrors.  She loves to bounce and dance.  She's just starting to get stranger anxiety.  She has Daddy's blue eyes and a dimple to die for.  She has the rosiest cheeks on the planet.  Today we learned that she's in the 97th percentile for height.  Welcome to a lifetime of clothes that will never fit right my baby doll.

There are no words to describe what becoming a mom is like.  You just have to go through it I guess.  She's the love of my life.  I adore this child and I am so lucky to be her Mom.  Happy 6 months kiddo, it's been great getting to know you.