Running with orthotics and hiking with two-year-olds...Which is more...fun?

I finally received my highly anticipated orthotic inserts for the running shoes. Not sure how I feel about them yet - they have to be broken into and it looks like it'll take some time. They make a squishy noise when I walk and are heavier then regular insoles...Running with them takes getting used to as well - the feel of the shoe changed, I notice I'm doing a heavier heel strike. Now that I'm back on track (haha) I've been evaluating the damage done to my running form by wear and tear, pregnancy and wine. So:
-Need upper body and back strength (doing the Paula Radcliff headbob when speeding up, not good). Our leg movement during running is connected to upper body strength, so hit the weight room people!
-Weak and feeble hip muscles, especially the left one. Balance, balance and more balance. Been doing fartleks during runs and one-minute pick ups with high knees. Painful, will see how it works.

Once I'm improved enough, I'll attempt to go a longer distance, but for now, while I break in my orthotics and nurse my pregnancy-damaged hips back to health, I'll stick to my regulars.

I've also been a bit jumpy: the other day I was running along a very pretty but isolated path and heard rustling in the bushes. It was probably a squirrel, but I thought it was a bear and it made me sprint for an unscheduled minute. Ha!

Speaking of bears, we took the zaiki hiking to Round Valley the other day. It was interesting. As you see from the photo below, Maya had to make an unscheduled pit stop. What the photo doesn't show is Maya telling us she has to go "peepepepoopoopotty" and then promptly pooping in her underwear and on the ground. And us performing an emergency change-clean operation midair.
After which she proudly proclaimed that she pooped in the woods like a bear.  (It is important to note that I do know how much I talk about poop: it took over my life during potty training. I'll try to stop. Maybe next I can write about ice cream..Or Dr Seuss...Or Russian lessons the zaiki go to...Anything but poop, I promise).

Also, if you pay enough attention to the photos, you'll notice how wet and sloppy the trail was. And that Sonya was the only one who was wearing rain boots. Two somewhat intelligent adults didn't think about trail sloppiness, and the only reason she is wearing the boots is because she insisted on having them. The hike was fun though: pooped in the woods, touched some questionable mushrooms and lake foam, threw rocks, got wet shoes, chased unsuspected and blameless insects into a certain heart attack, made sure that Papa doesn't lose his cardio endurance. Can't wait to do it again. :) 

zaikiandco: Kevin and Maya on the trail

“Little, party of 4” or learn to live with what you’ve got…

So we are not having anymore children, and I’m very sad about that on some level. Zaiki are the first and the last. You know, there are people to whom everything is easy – they seem to breeze through life blissfully unaware of struggles, efforts or disappointments. And then there are the rest of us.

To me, nothing was ever easy. All I have now I had to fight and work hard for. Even with pregnancy fate/God/something didn’t give me a break – I had to fight to get pregnant and then to keep it - being on bedrest for 5 months was not fun. When the girls were born, I was hoping that at least they’ll be easy-going and mellow, because Kevin and I deserved a break. No such luck. The first few months were hell as we battled constant crying and my postpartum depression. The girls have what my pediatrician calls “high-need” temperament and I have a feeling we are in for an interesting ride once puberty hits.

As for other aspects of our life, for the past year our family had been in the middle of a very long and expensive renovation project. Since we live in NJ and are tied here for the next 10 years because of Kevin’s job, and the house market is insane for a middle-class family, we’ve lived in the same small-ish house for almost a decade.

When the girls were born, we tried to sell, and had an offer that fell through a month away from closing partially due to our realtor’s shenanigans (you know who you are, Millenium 21 Realty!). The house was bursting at the seams: us, my mom staying for 6 months, two babies, squirrels in the attic, a miniscule kitchen with no dishwasher – it was a Survivor Island.  

Then we decided to build an addition. Refinancing was its own special hell, as well as trying to find a reliable contractor. We finally did: John Scutti from Scutti Construction, my kudos and gratitude to you!

Due to budget constraints we opted to do some of the work ourselves (I say we but really mean Kevin, who is gifted and handy. There isn’t much on the home front he can’t fix or build). I excel in drinking wine, painting and running. I’m also a good baker (my cupcakes are LEGENDARY), but home improvement is not my forte. I don’t even know how to work a screwdriver…But I digress.

So, moving into a one-bedroom with two one-year olds, paying rent on top of mortgage, Kevin, who was working all hours to finish the house, never being around made 2011 winter a rather bleak time for me.

The day we moved back into the house both girls got stomach flu and threw up all over our couch and everything they had. The washing machine was not hooked up yet, so that was an interesting three days. Then the kitchen cabinets got delayed. For two months.  

Now we are almost done with some much needed and appreciated help from various friends – we have floors, walls, and heat. The kitchen (with a dishwasher) is in place, and our new leather couch has been delivered yesterday and got zaiki’s approval.

Two days ago we moved our big girls into a bigger room and transitioned them into big-girl beds. Sonya fell out of hers the first night. Last night thunder and lighting woke up Maya and she cried. They have been super excited and unmanageable, not going to sleep till 10:30, which in zaiki-time is like 2 in the morning. But I know that they’ll get used to their new room and get back on the sleeping schedule.  

We had very difficult and draining three years. We are getting back on track, things are getting easier (as much as they can ever get for us). We are settling down. So even though, when I watch my daughters grow up oh so quickly, it makes me want to add another little soul to our family, we are not going to do that.

I don’t want another upheaval, stress, sleepless nights and additional financial strain. I’m tired. I know Kevin is tired too. Our plate is full.

I wish it was easier, I wish I had a better job, more money, more family support and people who were involved in our lives, but it’s just not in the cards.

So our family is complete. But it’s not so bad – zaiki are endlessly entertaining, Kevin is handy and fun to hang with, and I bake. I try to think of what lies ahead: Halloweens, costumes, family trips, New Years, snows, summers, first loves and much more. I think I am content with what I was given in life as I try to make the best of it.J

I am a soft-bellied sissy, or how no power really really sucks

Recent hurricane Irene swept over New Jersey, and our family was of the thousands of people affected by it.

In a true slacker fashion, we didn’t bother to prep much: the day before the storm Kevin bought some candles, lazily scouted the stores for lantern batteries, found none of course. We snickered over panicky squirrel people stocking up on generators, batteries and ramen noodles as we sipped wine while preparing for my 26^th birthday party. Once the storm was over and we had electricity Sunday morning, we were certain that the hurricane was grossly overhyped.

Then, around lunchtime, the power went out. We waited, and waited… Went out for a walk, saw carnage and devastation as Raritan river seeped into the town. It got dark, we lit candles. Packed the fridge with ice. And waited.

By Monday night I was hyperventilating and the food in the fridge was starting to come alive. We frantically cooked everything to prevent it from growing brains and taking over our house. Zaiki asked for TV but were content with “it’s broken”. We showered at a friends’ house, like homeless people. Maya screamed “I want light!” while she went to bed.

By Tuesday night we acquired a generator. And then the lights came back.

This little August adventure got me thinking of how good do we really have it and all the comforts that surround modern men. And how the electric companies like PSE&G have so much power over us. And how I am not at all tough and how much I love my hair dryer, among other things. And how the hygiene and cleanliness of pre-electricity society were not at all on the modern level. Candles definitely don’t provide adequate lighting, and if you can’t see dirt, no need to clean it, right?

One thing I found surprising was how easy it was to entertain the zaiki. I guess we are doing something right, since they were pretty content throughout the ordeal. No TV withdrawals, no really big tantrums. I think (and if you ask Kevin, I’m sure he’ll agree) that I handled the power outage far worse than the girls did. Now we have a generator. J

What's Up Doc Part II: Tonsils Are Like Bellybuttons

Image source: http://ejournal.eduprojects.net

Maya's tonsillectomy came and went. Thanks to the Hunterdon Medical Center, Dr. Kroon from Hunterdon Otolaryngology Associates and wonderful pediatric nurses, it was as stress-free as possible. Here are a couple of wisdoms for those who are considering tonsillectomy or adenoid removal for their 2-3 year olds:

1. Partial tonsillectomy beats the full one - ask your doctor if it is an option. If he says no, get a second opinion.

2. If the doc shows no compassion to your child pre-op, switch. Your gut is usually right. The first doctor we saw wouldn't allow the zaikas to play with his blood pressure cuff in the exam room. His exact words (to two bored 2-year-olds) were: "don't touch my medical equipment". That did not sit well with me: if you are a pediatric ENT, you let your patients stand on their heads if they choose and it shouldn't rattle you.

3. Don't read the horror stories about starving children and tonsil removals gone wrong on the interwebs - that only adds to the anxiety. It's really, really not that bad. Honestly, Maya's pre-op blood work appointment was far more dramatic and stressful. Maybe it's because the vampire torturer bloodwork tech couldn't find a vein on her little arm and I had to hold Maya locked on my lap while she screamed for Papa..Hmmm..The actual surgery is done as an outpatient procedure, and if your child is medicated properly post op, she'll be able to drink and swallow very quickly. Just keep the foods soft, cold and make her drink small sips of fluid continuously. 

4. Children really are resilient - Maya was playing in the playroom at the hospital while drinking chocolate milk four hours after she came out of surgery. Then she got home and played with Sonya till bedtime.

5. Kids on codeine are funny: we gave her pain meds every 4 hours for the first two days, and it made her roll in circles on the bed, rub a fuzzy blanket like she was on ecstasy and sing "twinkle, twinkle" over and over again.

6.One bit of truth from the dreaded interwebs' discussions on horrible tonsil removals is indeed true: the dead dog breath. I'm hoping that there aren't many of you out there who smelled dead dogs, but the child's breath will be vile for awhile (that was intentional, I'm too cool for school :p)

7. Tonsils are like belly buttons: this gem was passed to me by Maya's doctor. Apparently, tonsils grow like belly buttons: an innie or an outie. Hers were so big, they were both. Poor kid's throat was almost completely blocked, so it's a good thing we did this.

It's been four days since Maya's surgery, and she was able to swallow meat for the first time yesterday. It was awesome!! I am so proud of my brave little girl, my great husband and of course Sonya, who handled the upheaval in the household and separation from her "sissy" in a truly graceful Sonya manner: with tantrums and biting. Love all three of them.