Heidi: One Year Later

Kate's birthday is a huge milestone in my life as well as hers.  I am thrilled about all of the happy benchmarks Kate has hit in the last twelve months, but every month since her birth has marked my progress, too.  On this day I am reflecting on lessons learned, insights gained, and challenges conquered in the time since we found out Kate was on her way.

I'm sure that the difficult pregnancy will be gauge in my life for many years to come.  ("Is this harder than that?") I am still traumatized by it.  The other day I spent some time talking to a friend currently experiencing severe morning sickness.  I cried on and off for the rest of the day.  That was clearly an extreme response, and I am working on moving past last year's haunting memories.  But I am a stronger person for walking that road, even if I would never have chosen it.

That said, it's easy for me to see the great strides I have made in the last year.  Almost daily, I think to myself, "There is NO WAY I could have done that a year ago," even if that something is relatively basic, like vacuuming the family room or waking up before 8:00 a.m. or carrying two crying kids up the stairs.  I can take care of my family, serve in the church, throw a party, and help a friend--sometimes all in the same day.  I do NOT "have it all together," I am NOT Superwoman, and I still have more bad days than I would like. But I am feeling better and getting stronger, bit by bit, and day by day.  I am glad to be finding myself again.

In January, when I committed to improving my physical health, I set my sights on running a 10K this fall. Of course I hoped that a race date would help me get into shape, and it has.  My wedding ring finally fits again.  As of this morning, I'm two pounds away from losing my "Kate weight," which totaled 50 pounds.  I still hope to shed another 30 (my "Ty/Gav/Lex weight"). On Friday at the YMCA I completed a 10K training workout, which was a five-minute warm-up followed by a 17-minute run, a 1-minute walk,  a 17-minute run, a 1-minute walk,  a 17-minute run,  and a five-minute cool-down walk.  I traveled 5.1 miles in 62 minutes, and I was sure tired by the end!  But I'm thrilled that my body could do what I asked it to do that morning.

More than a physical training goal, committing to a 10K was a way to reclaim the true me: the Heidi  that feels most like herself when she is running.  It has been a long year and a tough battle (in January I couldn't run for three minutes straight), but I am finally finding that girl again.  The best part is that I am starting to feel like myself in places besides the gym or the treadmill.  My {super slow} mile time doesn't matter nearly as much as how I feel when I've accomplished something hard, or finished a task I didn't want to start.  I've learned that just showing up to attempt the difficult thing--in any part of my life--is lots more important than what I look like at the finish line.

I'm planning to run that 10K on October 6.  In fact, I registered for the race this morning. Just doing that much felt amazing.  I think the real Heidi is finally coming back...and I'm really glad to be here.

Kate: One Year Later

Our baby turns one today.  Here are some things that describe our favorite Miss Kate:

Physical stats:

About 22 pounds; 29 inches;  size 18 months clothes; size 4 shoes; double chin and dimples; dark blond hair (barely long enough for piggies); six teeth (four top, two bottom, working on molars).

Special skills: Walking full-time; standing up on her own; climbing up and down stairs; sleeping through the night; eating mostly what we eat; drinking whole milk (still from a bottle); folding arms for prayer; clapping; playing peek-a-boo; saying mama, dad, hi; signing more.

Likes: Milk; fruit; corn; animal and graham crackers; pasta; binky; Hopscotch (bunny); books; Lexi's doll house; dress-up necklaces; baby dolls; swinging; being outdoors; riding in the stroller; Mom's phone; taking baths; older sibling entertainment.

Dislikes: Hats; shoes; socks; car seat; being confined; having her diaper changed; being left behind.

...

This morning Kate opened her presents just after 7:00 a.m.  She had lots of help, of course.  We got her a wagon and a few one-year-old essentials: socks, a toothbrush, and rubber bands for her hair.  The kids gave her sippy cups, a doll, toddler snacks, and an outfit.  Grandma and Grandpa Bartle sent a check for Kate's savings account, and Granny and Gramps sent a doll stroller and a few accessories.  So far, Kate is delighted with everything, but especially the baby doll. 

Kate has truly lived up to her middle name, bringing us daily joys that we never thought possible.  I can hardly believe it's been a year since she was born.  I read her birth story this morning and felt like it all happened just yesterday.  Happy birthday, little girl!

Birthday preview

Our dearest Kate turns one tomorrow.  As I was making her cupcakes this morning, I hatched a plan to have some friends over to help us celebrate a day early.  Three little girls in the ward are pretty close to her age.  Two were able to accept our very last-minute invitation, and a party was born!

Kate was the center of attention...and as darling as ever.

Her owl "cake" was a hit with the kids and our guests.  

How many hands does it take to open a birthday present?

Kate thoroughly enjoyed her baby owl cupcake.  She babbled and squealed as she ate.

 

 

Later it was play time for kids and grown-ups alike.  We even got a quick picture with the little one-year-olds: Grace, Kate, and McKenna.

Happy birthday, baby!  We love you!

First meet

Our older boys joined the YMCA swim team this month.  Their first-ever swim meet happened on Saturday. The informational flier we received failed to mention that the pool was outdoors and didn't have bleachers.   Garry stayed busy capturing some great shots of our boys and another ward member on the team, but it was a long, hot day in the sun with no chairs or sunscreen.  

Zachary swam the 50-meter freestyle and backstroke and placed second in both races.

Tyler got third place in the 25-meter freestyle, backstroke, and freestyle relay.

Zach and Tyler have chosen swimming as their fall sport.  After watching so many swimming events during the Olympics, we can't help but wonder if one of our novice swimmers is destined for greatness.

How does your garden grow?

We have worked hard in our yard this summer.  I can't tell you how many back-breaking hours I have spent weeding, raking, sowing, mowing, and watering.  Garry has done so much to fertilize and water, too.  August is usually the month that we see the fruits of our labors in the yard, and this year has been no exception.

One weekend in April, I caught the notion to downsize our front planter.  It was roughly the shape of a grand piano.  I couldn't keep up with it.  On the day that I split my tulip bulbs (Gavin helped), we started the enormous project.

With Garry's help I shortened the bed to be even with the front porch.  I used the extra bricks to build a planter around our pine tree, which previously had some weird reed/grass plant growing beside it.  I ripped that out, filled the whole thing with dirt (Tyler helped), and planted flowers in both places (Gavin and Lexi helped).  Garry added drip systems to both beds and to the planter in the back yard.  He also installed solar garden lights that are so pretty in the dark. 

 April 12: The front flower bed before I ripped it out.

May 5: Gavin and I dug up, split, and replanted tulips.

May 8: Tyler helped me haul dirt from the old flower bed to the new one under the tree.

May 21: Garry's work gloves and a big root he had to dig out of the ground.

May 28: Flowers under the front window.

May 28: Under the tree.

We planted grass where the front flower bed used to be.  I used the same seed/mulch/fertilizer combo in many bare spots around the yard.  But first I had to rake up dead grass and prepare the soil.  I de-thatched large sections of the yard.  Garry added manure to many of these sections.  Some of them yielded gorgeous, lush, green grass. Some of them did not, and we're not sure why.  But we're very glad for the green parts! It's nice to have some reward for the time/money/water-intensive effort.  

May 21: First sprouts of grass in the newly-seeded front lawn.

May 22: The new dirt was super ugly for a while.

May 24: Garry fertilized the lawn and fixed sprinklers while I was in Mesa.

May 28: Front yard status on Memorial Day.

August 3: I cut down a dead-since-we-moved-in bush by the gate leading to the backyard.

August 14: Mostly satisfied with the front yard.

August 14: This is my favorite view.

In June we also planted sunflowers in the back yard.  Last year's effort was pretty lame, but this year has been much better!  Garry bought three varieties of sunflowers and many of them are beginning to bloom.  We've never had red sunflowers before!  We also had a rogue seed sprout in the front yard.  It is nearly blooming, too, and it makes me smile.  I admire its independence and tenacity.

July 12

July 12

August 11 (as with all below)

I still have many dreams for our yard, like completing the flagstone patio we started four years ago, filling in the rest of the neglected grass, and learning how to care for and harvest from our apple trees.  I've also decided on a new exterior paint color for the house, but money will have to fall out of the sky for that project to happen.  Until then I'll just have to count on the pretty flowers and the green grass and the blue sky to gladden my little nature-loving heart.