Archive for November, 2007

Newsletter: Month 2

Wednesday, November 7th, 2007

So G & A are now 2 months old. Wow. It seems to be flying by. People always say it is hard to remember the early months, and that its not necessarily a bad thing, not having to remember the long nights of no sleep and all.

You babies are really growing fast. G is now up to 10lbs 9oz, and A is now 8lbs 8oz. You both are really filling out and are starting to look a little bit more alike. Definitely look related now. I think that might be due to the fact that you both have the “Jankowski” head. G is in the 95% for head size and Abs is in the 75%.

The day after your 2 month birthday, Mommy took you to get your first round of shots. She said you were not very happy at all and cried screamed bloody murder the whole time. She was just a traumatized as you 2 and even left your band-aids on so that I could see the suffering you had to endure. I’ve also been enlisted to take you in for your next round in 2 months.

This month you definitely took major leaps forward in the sleeping department. You are now sleeping well at night, for up to 5 hours in between feedings. This has allowed Mommy and I to get some much needed rest, and has made caring for you much easier.

You have also adjusted very well to having the nanny come in 2 days a week so Mommy can head back to work part-time.  We have received nothing but good reports from her as she watches you and your friend Caine.

You have also both begun smiling at people in a big way. You both have the most adorable smiles and Abs has even had a slight giggle at times. You are also much more alert after you eat. Both of you enjoy sitting in the swing, staring at the fishys that swirl around. You also love to lie in the boppy and stare out the window or up at the fan. G loves to look at everything and takes it all in with big bright eyes. Sometimes G will make some noises in response to Mommy or I. Abs loves to smile and coo and talk. You are going to be our little social butterfly.

One of my favorite things that happened this month is that you began enjoying bath-time. We figured out that you really don’t like to be immersed in cold water, but like to be held in a warm shower. You are both so awake and alert while in the shower and look at the water coming down.

This month was also your very first road trip. You were very good travelers going to Nana and Pop’s house to meet your Houston cousins. You even took in your very first concerts at the Red River Revel, getting to enjoy Trout Fishing in America and George Clinton. From Shreveport, we headed up to Arkadelphia, AR to attend your adopted cousin’s baptism. The trip home went well, including stopping to feed twice in parking lots. It was quite the sight to see Mommy sitting in the front seat with the twin pillow feeding both of you.

All my love,

Daddy

Cross Training?

Wednesday, November 7th, 2007

Didn’t run for the sake of running last night, but I did hit the weekly men’s basketball game at church.  Only 11 showed so we played 5 on 5 full court.  Ended up playing for 1 hour 10 minutes of very quickly paced action.  Was feeling it by the end and was sucking a lot of wind.  I need to get back on the horse with playing more often.

great run

Tuesday, November 6th, 2007

Got the babies settled down around 7pm after a rough day following their first round of shots.  After a rest day on Sunday to let all of Saturday wear off, I was still feeling a bit tight, but wanted to try to run some congestion out of my lungs.

Went off and was looking for around 3.5-4 and ended up under-estimating a bit.  Started to feel very tired and out of energy around mile 2 but around 3.5 started feeling the second wind.  Ended up pushing out 4.8 miles, somewhat by accident, but loved the route.  Plus it was mid 40’s and the wind was blowing.  Good time.

On another note, I’m not loving the daylight savings.  It is too dark way too early.  Hate driving home with the sun setting.

Weekend runs

Monday, November 5th, 2007

Friday night went for a short run to stretch the legs and get ready for Saturday am’s run.  Nothing special 2.5 miles around the neighborhood with the pup.

Saturday went out to the hills of east Norman with A&D to get some hill work.  Had great weather.  Clear skies and around 40 when we left. Watched the sun rise over the rolling hills.  Didn’t get attacked by any dogs.  Went 9.3 miles.  Felt great.  Surprisingly my legs were not killing me afterward, at least until later that evening.

My buddy Dave hooked me up with a ticked to the OU-ATM game.  So nice to get to a home game this year.  Great game with the Sooners winning easily and dominating the whole game and Jermaine Gresham setting a receiving record of 4 TD catches in a game.  ATM did look good when the band took the field at halftime, though.  Gotta love the military style marching band.  And moving on up in the BCS.  Up to 5 and the Big 12 north has teams in the top 6, so the Big 12 Championship should be a big boost.

Great Running Advertisement

Thursday, November 1st, 2007

Having run a pair of Pearls I can say they are extremely comfortable and fairly long lasting. Only problem I’ve found is that very few stores carry them, including my local running shop.

However this Ad campaign makes me want to buy another pair. I especially love “if you’re not sure whether you’re running or jogging, go faster.” That and we don’t make shoes for conveyor belts. Right on.

Spooky 4.1

Thursday, November 1st, 2007

Not really spooky, but was nice to run past other people, even if their faces were covered. Went out in the midst of trick-or-treaters. Great weather, we had a cool front roll through yesterday afternoon and temps were into the 50’s by 7pm. Took off and say a ton of kids and rents in our neighborhood and thought I’d roll through some other neighborhoods which I figured would be full of T-or-Ters.

Was surprised that the hood I thought would have the majority of kids was almost empty and nearly all the houses had their lights off. For shame. I remember back in the day having a rare house that didn’t turn their light on, but that was a rarity. I would say that it is (at least in our area) now closer to a majority of houses with lights off. I guess it is a sign of the times: partially a sign of neighbors not being neighborly and wanting to crawl into their own house and be left alone, and partially one of the (overly) concerned parents not wanting their kids out accepting candy from strangers. I kind of understand this, but are there really that many more weirdos out there now than say 15-20-30 years ago? Or have we just been berated by the mass media and expansion of worldwide news coverage, so that every horrible event that would have been local news only 15 years ago is now national and in our face every second of the day?

Anyway. It was great to see so many families out walking with their kids, enjoying a beautiful evening. It made me feel good that I saw more walking parents than those driving behind in the suburban, stopping at every driveway. Way to go!

Finished with 4.1 and ran the majority at a tempo pace, with a few recovery stretches thrown in.