Being a Ham

Josh got these banners in today and so he brought them home to show us.  Hadley was more than thrilled to show her NRG support:)

What a difference a day makes

We have been playing with this walker for awhile now.  She likes to sit in your lap and pull up on it and then throw herself back in your lap.  This can provide a good 20 min of fun :)  I have tried to show her how to walk with it, but today I thought I would just let her do it all by herself.  She obviously gets side tracked as she is walking as the walker keeps going without her, but she seems to be getting the hang of it.  Last week she wouldn't even crawl, and this week we have hit the fast forward button.  She is the busiest bee EVER!  

We have a crawler

Well, we have had one for awhile, but it was the 'ol army crawl.  She has soon figured out it is a lot less work and she can go faster if she gets up on her knees.  She still will army crawl, but now she just mixes it up a bit.   I couldn't get much of it on video since crawling to the camera is way to tempting, but you get the picture :)

Triathlon

The day has finally come and gone! It was AWESOME! Last year I decided to train for this triathlon to help get back in shape after having Hadley. I knew how much I wanted to feel like myself again, but I also knew that I needed a goal and a timeline that would push me, but also not break me. I have been training since the first of the year, but REALLY specifically training for the last 12 weeks. It has been a hard road and a lot of discouraging days thinking I would never be able to accomplish this goal. I have a long history of running, but as far a biking and swimming, I haven't done either of those since I was like 10. I was most nervous about the swimming in the beginning so I signed for a swimming class to help build technique. The instructor is a very good triathlete and was an awesome teacher. I didn't end up making it to all 6 classes at 6 in the morning, but the ones I did make really helped.

Now, I was determined to focus on the biking. Just for the record, biking is WAAAY harder than I thought. It kicked my booty big time. The course has tons of mountains hills:) It is flat out hard to ride when you aren't a biker. I was really really not liking biking, but I made myself go the course 2 times a week and would hate every single second. In the end, living close to the course and forcing myself to go really helped me to know it like the back of my hand. I know every turn, every hill, every cow :) We became close buddies :)

Overall, I felt prepared and ready for today. My goal was to do it in an 1:45 min and to not walk any of the running portion. I was able to complete both of those. My final time was 1 hr. 32 min. It felt great to be done in a lot of ways. Here are some pics that Josh took. Which by the way, he has been the BEST supporter through this journey. He helped motivate and encourage me on the days I had to work harder than I thought possible and he helped me to see the light at the end. He was soooo excited for the race, he helped me set up the night before and getting all my gear out and organized. He was even so excited he woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't go back to sleep. I heard the coffee pot at 4:45 and then he came in to wake me up with a big happy smile. I love him and how excited he gets!

This is first thing in the morning. Everyone getting their bikes in place

Very Early...getting ready to get started

The swimming line. It was sooo long.  I had to wait an hour to start.

I'm about ready to start.  I have the white shirt on, about to jump in

Swimming (can you find me :)  

Transition 1

Getting ready to ride

It looks like I'm all alone out there...we got all spread out after the swim and transition.

All done :)

If you look to the left you will see my dad in the green shirt timing me.  Him and my mom came this weekend to cheer me on and to help with HG.  I'm so thankful for sweet parents who are always willing to help out.  I don't think I had to twist my moms arm to bad since the request had Hadley written all over it :)  Thanks guys for coming.  We all had a lot of fun.  It wouldn't have been the same without you. 

So, now that goal is down and I'm thinking about the next.  I will stay in my comfort zone this time and just run a 1/2 marathon in November.  It will be a different challenge, so we will see if I miss the biking and swimming.  Probably not, but I will definitely do more triathlons.  They are exciting and draw a fun group of competitors.  Overall, great experience and I can't wait for next year, well maybe, but I'll be ready either way!

Happenings

Whenever I get around to posting on the blog it seems like a mad dash to post pictures and write a caption. That is not the reason I wanted to do a blog. I wanted to have a journal that I can look back on and remember the stages that we go through. Pictures are always great, but I'm not the best at writing or recalling what I think would be a good thing to remember someday, if that makes any sense. I thought I would start today and just write some of the everyday things that happen around here, knowing they will soon change as Hadley gets older. I know I will want to look back on these days and remember some specifics.

Hadley is in a fun fun stage. She sleeps all night, she goes to bed around 6 or 6:30 and gets up around 6:30. Being that she goes to bed so early it is a great time for Josh and I to hang out. One night we just got wine and hung out on the patio, but lately we have been addicted to the show 24. We watch at least 2 episodes a night and sometimes three. If you have seen the show you know that it is nearly impossible to not watch the next one to see what it going to happen. If you have not seen the show, YOU. MUST. SEE.

Anyways, back to Hadley. Last Saturday she started army crawling. Up until now, being her laid back self she has had NO motivation to move off her booty. She will turn circles on her booty, but not go anywhere. If she looses a toy she is content with finding another one. Well, this week she has turned a new curious leaf. She will plop down on her tummy and go to town trying to get anything she can get her little hands on. People always said don't rush crawling and now I see why and how our whole little routine is about to change. I went for a bike ride this morning and while Josh was watching her she managed to pull over a potted plant and get 1/2 way across the room before Josh could catch her. I am finally going to baby proof this place. I guess our house will look a little bare, so when you stop by please don't judge my decorating...it is only temporary, right? I guess I should be thankful it has been prolonged this long.

She is also talking a lot these days. She does most of her talking while sitting in her high chair or in her bed. When I lay her down, she will sometimes talk and talk for 30 min. It is really fun to hear all of her new noises. She of course says 'dada' 'mama' and sometimes 'all done' or 'banana' but mostly it is all mumbled words.

I have given her pretty much all fruits and vegetables. She seems to like anything I put on her tray except cauliflower. That ended up all on the floor. Recently, I started giving her Cheerios. These are a new favorite for both of us. They keep her well occupied when we are out. She likes to pick them up one by one to eat them.

She still only has the two bottom teeth. I keep expecting the top teeth to come in soon.

I can't believe that we are so close to her one year birthday. It has gone by so quick. Josh and I were supposed to be in Australia on her birthday for a body building show. At the last minute we decided we didn't want to be away on her birthday and we would just miss the show. Josh had the great idea of going a week later, but going on vacation to where we actually WANT to go. So, we are heading to Mexico for a week. Needless to say, we are soooo excited. Hadley will stay with both the grands. She will be having a mini vacation of her own :) I know we will miss her, but it is going to be a great time to relax and enjoy some of the freedom of not being on a schedule or carrying diapers in my purse :)

Well, if anyone has read this much and is still with me, I know this stuff is not really interesting to anyone but me, but thanks for humoring me and hopefully I will do better with each post and not have to do another looong one to make up for my lack of details.

A little shout out to HG's gram, papa, and maw maw..

Just For Fun