Mason's First Birthday

For Mason's first birthday we had a party at the park with his friends and our friends. Mason loves balls so Chad and I made him cupcakes that looked like footballs, basketballs, and baseballs, and made him a cake that looked like a soccer ball. Luckily we got a picture of the cake at home because it was so hot outside the day of his party that the cake melted pretty quickly and looks pretty bad.  Mason wasn't the happiest at the beginning of his party.  Everyone kept telling him that it was his party and he could cry if he wanted to. :) When it was time to sing happy birthday I think Mason got scared. There were quite a few people there and everyone was singing to him, staring at him, and flashing cameras.  He just stared at everyone and didn't try to eat any of his cake. I tried to give him a bite but he didn't want it and he cried. After a little while though when people began visiting with each other again and no one was looking at him, Mason tasted the frosting and then started playing in the cake. He still didn't really eat much, but he grabbed some handfuls and then tried to stand up on the table and stomp on it.  After cake he played on the grass with his friends and played on the swings. He loves the swings and often cries when it is time to get off.

Here are lots of pictures. Sorry they are out of order.

He's not too happy about this.

This was probably his favorite part of the day. He laughs and smiles so big.

Amber and Henson and Mike and Hamilton

Andrew and Erin

Courtney and Hamilton

Mason loves watermelon and was very upset when it fell in the dirt and Chad had to take it to clean it off.

James and Morgan

William and Mason

Morgan and the Wootens got Mason a soccer ball which he loves!

Bath tub paint/soap from the Rasmussens. This was a lot of fun!

Mom, what am I supposed to do with this?

Emancipation Day Bike Ride

Chad had Emancipation Day off of work so we decided to put Mason in our new bike trailer and ride into DC to see some of the monuments. We went to the Jefferson and of course the Lincoln Memorials. It was about a 12 mile bike ride total. We all had a lot of fun and the weather was great!

Mason likes to do the thing where you run your finger over your lips and make noise.

Lasik Update

When most people think of Lasik eye surgery, they think of being able to wake up the next day and see everything so clearly.  They don't think of going to get new glasses.

I think for most people who have Lasik, this is the case. Unfortunately, I am not one of those people. I did wake up the next morning and could see much much better, but things were still blurry. The eye doctor said since my prescription was so high it might take a few more days for my vision to clear. It has now been 10 days since my lasik eye surgery and unfortunately things are still blurry. I went back for a follow-up today and I am seeing at 20/60 (barely).  The doctor said it looks like I will need an enhancement.  I knew before the surgery that the chances of that were about 10% for me because of my high prescription. I was hoping I would fall into the 90% and have great vision afterwards, but no luck. Unfortunately, it will be at least 4 months before they will do an enhancement because they have to wait for my eyes to heal completely and the vision to stabilize.  This means that for the next 4 months at least I will have to wear glasses. Ugh! I hate glasses so much! I can't wear contacts because they will interfere with the healing process. So I spent thousands of dollars and went from wearing contacts that didn't interfere much with my daily life, to needing glasses which I hate. Bummer!

On the bright side of things, the enhancement will be free and the doctor said my cornea should still be thick enough to be able to do it (sometimes it is too thin after 1 surgery and an enhancement is not possible). Most likely after the enhancement I will be able to see 20/20 and will have the waking up the next morning and everything looking so clear experience. I think it will still be worth it in the end to have good vision and not need glasses or contacts. It's just going to take longer to get to that point than I expected or hoped. Oh well. I'm sure I'll get used to glasses soon and before I know it I will be seeing perfectly without them!

Lasik Eye Surgery

Yesterday I had Lasik Eye Surgery. I have been wanting to get it done since it first came out, but I was way too young then. I started wearing glasses when I was 8 and then switched to contacts around when I turned 12 I think. I am now 26 and this is the first time in a very long time that I can see without glasses or contacts. It is amazing!

My appointment was for 11:20 yesterday. During the first 2 hours I was there they did a few tests on my eyes and then there was just a lot of waiting. I finally went in for the surgery around 2:00. The doctor put drops in my eyes to numb the cornea. Then I laid on a chair under a machine and he put something under my eyelids to keep my eyes open and taped my eyelashes to my face so that I couldn't blink.  Then I focused on a light and there was suction on my eye and a laser created the flap. I felt some pressure on my eyelids during this part and it was slightly painful, but it was short and not bad at all. After creating the flap for both eyes I moved under another machine and focused on another light while the laser reshaped my cornea. The light went dark for a few seconds during the procedure and then my vision came back and the doctor put several different kinds of drops in my eye. During this part I didn't feel anything, but there was a slight burning smell (totally normal). I really liked the doctor who did the surgery. He talked me through the whole thing telling me what he was going to do, what I would hear, feel, smell...He told me when my vision was about to go dark and when it was about to come back. He told me he would be using the laser on my right eye for 38 seconds and then he counted down for me every 5 seconds (same thing with 30 seconds on my left eye). It was comforting to know everything to expect before it happened. The whole procedure took around 5-10 minutes.  When it was done I put on some special sunglasses and went home to sleep.

They give you 2 tylenol pm to help you fall asleep because after the numbness in your cornea disappears it is supposed to feel like you've been sprayed in the face with pepper spray and be pretty painful and miserable for the next 6 hours (this is what the doctor said). I went home and got right in bed and closed my eyes. I have to wear special goggles when I sleep for the first week.  It took me quite a while to fall asleep, but I just laid there with my eyes closed because it hurt to open them.  They burned slightly while they were closed, but it wasn't bad at all. Luckily I finally fell asleep and slept until 6:50 p.m. I woke up and Chad helped me out to the couch because I didn't want to open my eyes until the 6 hours was up (at 8:15) because I knew it would make them hurt more.  I was very surprised that they didn't hurt much at all - even during that last 1 1/2 hours when I was awake - just burned slightly.

At 8:15 I opened my eyes and I could see pretty well.  Words are still blurry from far away, but there has definitely been a big improvement.  My eyes also felt totally fine by then. They didn't hurt at all, weren't dry or scratchy or anything. I even spent a few hours last night cleaning the house and doing dishes - pretty quick recovery for having surgery earlier that day.

For the next week I have to put 2 kinds of medicated eye drops in my eyes 4x/day and use artificial tears 4-8x/day for the next month. For the next week I can't: wear makeup, exercise, swim, wash my face with soap, or do anything that could get sweat or water in my eyes.

When I woke up this morning I didn't have the amazing "Wow, I can see so clearly!" experience you hear about some people having. It was similar to last night. I could see much better, but things far away were still a little blurry. I guess the clearer vision will come more gradually.

This morning I went back for my next day follow-up appointment. My vision is now 20/40 so things are still a little blurry, but it is much better. I was hoping it would be closer to 20/20 already, but it hasn't even been 24 hours so I just need to be patient. The doctor said some people are at 20/20 the next day, but for others it can take a few days or weeks. Since I had such a high prescription before surgery it will probably take my eyes a few days to get better.

Right now I can look at my computer without my face touching it (what i used to have to do without my contacts in), I can see who people are even from far away, I can see the tv (although not the small print yet), etc. Pretty much the only thing I can't see are signs and words from far away. The doctor said I am legal to drive, but barely.  Right now I don't feel comfortable driving. I could if I had to, but would prefer to wait until things clear up a bit. Hopefully by tomorrow I will notice even more improvement.

I am really glad I got the lasik surgery. The procedure was so quick and easy and pain free and even the recovery hasn't been bad at all - much less painful than I expected or had heard (knock on wood).

11 Months Old!

11 Months Old Already!  As Mason grows up we have more and more fun with him. Each new stage and new thing he learns to do is so exciting. We are so happy to be Mason's parents and have him in our family!

• Has 4 teeth (3 top and 1 bottom) and 4 close to coming in (3 bottom and 1 top)
• He is really good at running. When he runs he leans his head forward and holds his arms back like he is a bird flying aerodynamically (that's how Chad describes it).
• Loves pointing at things and following them, especially squirrels and birds
• Waves at people and cars as they go by
• Says hi to friends and people who walk by
• He's close to being able to climb up onto our bed (it's a low Ikea one)
• Loves to throw things - books off the shelf, food off his tray, toys, balls, etc.
• He is getting good at rolling the ball around and can kick it sometimes too
• Loves running around outside and exploring
• Still loves reading and is learning how to open books and turn pages by himself
• Loves music and dancing and kind of "sings" along
• Mason knows when we are getting ready to go somewhere and he goes and gets his shoes
• Daddy taught him how to throw a ball into his exersaucer seat so it will come out the bottom and then throw it back in again.
• Likes playdates with mommy and friends, going to the park, walking to 7-11 with Dad, banging on things, playing with balls and puppets...
• Loves to play chase. He goes up to you and smiles and makes noise and then runs the other way when he wants you to chase him.
• Mason loves to skype. He recognizes the sound skype makes when it opens up and when he hears it he runs to the computer, jumps up and down, and says hi over and over again.

Mason likes playing with friends. He gets really excited and "talkative" when they come over.

He loves to sit outside.

And run around outside.

This is Mason's favorite park. All of these ride on and push toys are part of the park and there are tons more than what is shown in the picture.

Spring Break 2013

Last week was my fourth Spring Break since becoming a teacher.  Teachers undoubtedly need this break as much as students do to help them get through the year and keep working down the final stretch until Summer Break.  This year was the first year with Mason, the newest addition to our family, and that made things a lot different than previous Spring Breaks -- and I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

First off, this year we stayed home instead of travelling.  In previous years we've gone to places like Florida where it is very warm, but there really wasn't any way we would want to make Mason stay in a hotel or fly on a plane (again!) so soon.  Plus, what we wanted most was the opportunity to spend a lot of quality time together as a family and it didn't matter where we were.
The simple joys of relaxing at home and spending time with my family made this Spring Break the best that I could have asked for.  Getting to spend the entire day with my young son who I normally only get to see for a couple hours after work before his bedtime was priceless.  It was great to get to be there for his entire daily routine for a whole week, it really makes me look forward to the Summer break and getting to be there with him all day for a couple months!  As in years past, it was hard when the break ended and it was time to go back to work, but that is life.

Highlites from Spring Break 2013 include the following:

Mason getting his 3rd and 4th teeth and loving to use them on anyone and anything!

Mason learning to go stand by the front door to tell us he wants to go outside (kind of like a dog now that I think about it...)

Getting to get Mason out of bed and feed him breakfast

My mom coming to stay with us for a week and Mason getting reacquainted with his Grammy

Michelle and I puting together a 1,000 piece puzzle of all the monuments and landmarks of Washington, D.C. and gluing it together with Modge Podge

Buying one way tickets to Boise for the Summer

Riding my bike from Alexandria, VA to Harper's Ferry, WV (about 80 miles)

Spending a whole week together as a family

D.C. Rock N' Roll Marathon

I recently set a new personal best for running a marathon.  I competed in the second annual Rock N' Roll marathon, a marathon that took place entirely within the limits of the District of Columbia.  This was a really cool race to compete in.  All the streets that we ran in had been blocked off and it was tons of fun to run up and down many major and lots of small streets of our nation's capital.  The course took the runners around many of the famous D.C. landmarks and even one I had heard of but never seen before: the Titanic memorial.  I probably couldn't tell you where that memorial is, but I know we ran by it!  A lot of the course was along streets that faced the U.S. Capital Building.  We seemed to run up to it, make some turns, and then run towards it from another direction for much of the race.  I can't think of a cooler backdrop for a marathon.

I am really happy with my race results.  I set a new personal record, shaving 8 minutes off my previous best and finishing in 3:40:19.  My main goal was to finish under 3 hours and 40 minutes, so it was slightly disappointing to miss that goal by 20 seconds.  I had to stop at a porta-potty for an emergency bathroom break, so if I could have figured out how to get my stomach issues under control for this race my finish time for sure would have been under 3:40.  Furthermore, according to my GPS watch, I actually hit the 26.2 mile mark at 3:37.  When I crossed the finish line, according to my GPS, I had actually run 26.5 miles.  I think this is due to a lot of little things like passing groups of people by running around them instead of just staying in a straight line and hugging the corners in the turns.  In the future, I will keep this in mind.  I will also try to save a few seconds here and there whenever possible to compensate for the things I do to add a few seconds.  Over the course of 26.2 miles, evidently it all adds up and really does matter for your finishing time.  This brings new meaning to what I have heard people say many times: "You prepare for and plan for the 26 miles, but the 0.2 miles at the end gets you every time" (or something like that). 

It is still hard to fathom that in a race that lasts hours and is over 26 miles long, whether or not you reach your goal still comes down to the smallest of things.  In my case, if I didn't have to make an emergency bathroom stop, if I would have spent 30 seconds less in the portapotty, if I had an average mile pace of one second faster, or if I just didn't add an extra 0.3 miles to my running distance, I would have easily finished under 3:40.  I am not bothered by this though because I know I actually did run 26.2 miles in under 3:40, and even more importantly, I know I will shatter the 3:40 mark in my next marathon.

I am most happy with the results of my race though because I was able to push myself hard and go all out without any injuries hampering my performance.  Unfortunately, my training leading up to this marathon was adversely affected by various injuries that set my training back a few days here and there or even a full week at one point.  I did manage to get my 'long run' in about a week and a half before the race and I was able to be injury-free on race day.  This was what was most important to me.  I felt that if I was injury-free on race day I would be able to push myself as hard as I could and go all out, which is what I wanted to be able to do. 

Fun with Mason

Here are some fun things we have done with Mason lately:

We finally had some warm weather the other day so we walked to the park near our house. Mason is still learning about parks. He was a little scared on the teeter totter. He's not sure what to think about slides. He liked the swings after a minute though and of course his favorite part was eating sticks and dirt. We tried to limit that as much as possible, but I think he still got a lot. 

I taught Mason to bang the sticks together instead of eat them. This worked for a little bit.

It looks like Mason is saying - "Mom is it ok if I climb up this?"

We have also been waiting for the weather to warm up so we could get a bike trailer and take Mason for bike rides. We got a trailer this week and went on our first bike ride today. We all really enjoyed it! It will be such a great way to get exercise and have fun with mason at the same time.

Our Little Rockstar

We got out our rock band stuff for Mason to play with. He loved it!