Dear Ainsley [11 months]

As mentioned before we took some of Ainsley's 1 year pictures this week. A few of my favorites are scattered through this letter to Ains. The rest are on Facebook. Enjoy our sweet lil' one! :)


Dear Ainsley-


Next month you are turning 1! And I'm so excited for it. I know all parents say it, but it seems like just yesterday you were born. Especially with a new baby brother or sister on his/her way in a few months, it's my goal to continue to soak up these moments with just you and Papa.

 This month was a month of transitions for you. Our first attempt to switch you over to whole milk resulted in a rash a couple days later, which ended us at the doctor to learn that you had hand, foot, and mouth disease and impetigo. We went back to nursing for a couple weeks until it was all cleared up and then you're back to the milk, without a problem. After Grandma-wisdom, we decided 1-2% milk was a better option than the whole milk as the fat enzymes that remain in your poo may have been the root of the rash. [Your Papa had similar issues as a wee one.] Now at your 11-month birthday, you are going on nearly a week of whole milk only. You and I thankfully, have handled the transition well.

Your other BIG transition was into your crib at night! Now I'd been dreading thinking about this transition for months. Nine times out of 10 when we'd tell someone that we co-slept, a comment would be made about the nightmare we'd experience when we tried to get you to sleep on your own. Your Papa and I decided that come Summer we'd make this transition. I mean I don't need sleep in the summer, right?! Well June came and went and we snuggled through the early summer nights. With a work trip planned for the 2nd full week of July aka 1 king bed in our room, we decided after that would be a great time to make the switch. I stalked the blogworld for support and suggestions and then came July 19th. Papa gave you a bottle and rocked you to sleep. He laid you down in your crib. Instantly you woke in tears, but 3 minutes and 8 seconds later, you were out for the count!! [Yes, momma timed it! I was only going to let you cry for 5 minutes. :)]

You woke a couple times that first night for a few minutes each time but considering it was the first time in 327 day and the only time in your entire life that you had slept farther than an arms distance from your momma, I thought you did great!! The next night, I was whooped and Papa had nighttime duty. He rocked and rocked you, and next thing I knew, I woke next to Papa and you in our bed. He informed me it wasn't worth the fight and there's another day to try. Good enough for me. 

Well the next night, Papa wasn't feeling too great and I tried to get you into your crib peacefully. You wanted nothing to do with sleeping let alone your crib, so that night? Papa woke next to you and me. :) Since then though you've slept in your crib and most nights you haven't even woke during a 9 or 10 hour stretch. It has been wonderful! And as much as we loved your nightly snuggles, we've enjoyed the slumber party like pillow talk and evening time together since we've made the transition. You still cry like crazy for a few seconds [13 to be exact the other night] or a couple minutes [not more than 3 yet though] as soon as you are laid in your crib, but so far, so good!!

In addition to those major transitions, you are still as cute and fun as ever! Your personality is really starting to shine and your facial expressions crack.us.up! Today, I think you learned what the word "kisses" means, although it's important to keep our mouth shut when we receive such kisses right now! ;)

My fav!

Keep being sweet, sweet Pete! Keep being the joy to our world!


Much love,


Momma

Photo Shoot Preview & Goal #25

With Mister having the day off today, we thought it'd be a good day to head to the park and take some pics for Ainsley's first birthday. Well unbeknownst to us rain was in the forecast so after snuggling through a Tyler Perry movie [my fav!], a lunch date, a few errands, and a nice nap, the sun came out and we decided to still head to the park. 


We took 300+ a lot of pics so hopefully we have a dozen good ones. No exaggeration on either end of the estimates. We still have to sift through them all but I thought I'd leave you with one preview:

Ainsley & her lil' sibling's first photo.
Goal #25 :-)

Baby Massie #2 is healthily growing with an expected arrival of early March. Ainsley had a due date that threatened to keep me away from The Allen County Fair, yet was unsuccessful as I made it there all but the day my water broke and the day she was born. This little one though I'm 99.9% will keep me from another annual attendance at the OHSAA State Wrestling Tournament. Since I'm due the weekend of the tournament, I'm already counting on my first missed attendance in 16 years!!! 


He or she is definitely worth it though! 


We are all excited and hoping for another smooth pregnancy with a perfect, healthy outcome; just like the last one!

Goal Updates: Warrior Dash & Running

Over a month and an half ago now--wow, summer's flying and I have had this typed for 3 weeks now!--about twenty family members from the Clum side headed to Logan, Onio to participate in the Warrior Dash. (Basically a 3.5 mile obstacle course.) 


Now a year ago, I didn't really know anything about such run, but a friend of mine mentioned it in spin class and then Mister and I got to talking about it and before we knew it,the whole clan was signed up for it! And we decided since we were all going down, we should make a weekend of it--and so that's what we did. :-) Lodge was reserved, meals were planned, and costumes (White Trash Class, of course) was decided upon. 

White Trash Class Before Pic

As family trickled in Friday night, we settled in with much laughter and fun 'making' our costumes which culminated with my lovely brothers giving each other costume appropriate hair cuts.

My favorite part of this pic isn't my brothers,
although they are looking studly,
but rather it's everyone's facial expressions in the background!

Saturday morning we had a breakfast of pancakes and eggs before heading to the fair grounds close to where the Warrior Dash was being held. The excitement and comic relief of others' costumes left our group splitting up--half heading to the starting line and the other half settled in with the kids to wait to watch the finish. 

Mr. & Mrs. Classy with matching fu-man-chus

Mister and I decided that we'd run together figuring it'd be more fun to share the experience and so we stuck together the whole time--which was also good since he wore my time chip since I didn't have shoestrings to attach it too. At various times we crossed paths with other family members and enjoyed the challenges and humor of the course. My brother intentionally slid down his share of muddy slopes whereas my slides weren't as planned. :-) We weren't there to win--as my case in all runs--and wanted to just enjoy the experience. I'd say we successfully accomplished that goal. 

My younger brother celebrating his finish!

Mister and I caught up with my mom in one of the last obstacles as we climbed up and back down the cargo net. The next obstacle was jumping over a couple rows of fire, over which I squawked like a 10 year old and my momma was a bit afraid her workout pants would go up in flames. The final obstacle was a 2 foot deep muddy water that you had to crawl through under barbed wire. At this point, Chris was ahead of me and momma was just behind me. Well I thought it'd be a good idea to swim in the muddy water, which was until I heard my momma yell, "Rachel! You're splashing me right in the face!!" I turned to see how close she was and then decided to finish the course with a backstroke through the water and then slipped several times trying to get out of the pit. 

White Trash Class After

After cleaning up a bit aka rubbing dried mud off and throwing away old clothes, we headed back to the lodge for the remainder of the weekend. 

All the Clum Clan in attendance

Overall, the weekend was so much fun and my favorite part--even beyond my muddy backstroke--was spending time with extended family! We decided then and there that this needed to occur more often so a lodge is booked for another Clum gathering in September! And I may just have a list of possibilities for a beach/lake vacation next summer! *Clum Clan if you're reading this: We want YOU there even if you weren't able to attend the Warrior Dash weekend!!*


In other, similar news, another goal is confidently crossed of my list of 101 things to accomplish in 1001 days: 


13. Run 101 miles. 


After yesterday's Run to the Moon 10km, I've chalked 122 miles since I started this task about a year ago. If you'd look at my running tracker, you'd quickly notice that I'm awful at consistency. For example, I did great end of February/March, then fell off the wagon thanks to picking up an extra afterschool teaching assignment, and then this summer have done a bit better again. Which is good since Mister, Momma-cita and I are registered for a HALF MARATHON come October! I'm anxiously looking forward to it already, especially after yesterday's run. 


Now I've said it before and I'll likely continue to repeat myself for a while, but I am not a runner. Yes, I run, but I'm not what I consider a runner. [What to 'meet' a real, awesome runner?! Meet my friend, Sara, who is both a great runner and a great baker!! Order a dozen cupcakes if you don't want to take my word for it! ;)] Anyways, even with the half marathon we're registered for, I have/had no intentions of actually running for 13.1 miles straight. 


We've been following Jeff Galloway's training and suggestions and for our Sunday morning "long runs" have been following a 4 minute run/1 minute walk interval. It's comfortable and we've been keeping about a mid-11 minute/mile pace which isn't too far off from my typical mid-10/min to just under 11 min/mile pace for a 5k. Well yesterday as we embarked on our first race of a longer distances [previously I've only done 5ks (3.1 miles) and 1-4 mile race], I shared with Mister that my goal was to run the first half as if it were a typical 5k aka run as much as possible with a walk break if I felt like I really needed it, and then for the second half of the race, do a 4/1 interval.


Well we got started and it was a bit depressing since there weren't many people behind us, but we were   with the tail-end of the pack. When we crossed the 1/2 mile marker and our watches read 6:45, I turned to Chris and commented, "We suck!" Sure I felt slow, but I didn't think I was that slow! [Sidenote: I'll saw I a lot when it comes to pace or goals because Mister is a champ and goes along with what I feel comfortable with!] 


Thankfully we quickly came upon the 1 mile marker at 10:something and our suspension was confirmed: the 1/2 mile marker was misplaced! We ran the first half taking just one walk break of a few strides through the water station in order to rehydrate, and then we just kept going. Instead of intentionally taking walk breaks, we ended up running the entire race minus 3 water stations which in my book, doesn't really count as walking!


We finished overall with an 11:34/mile pace clocking in at 1:11:33 which was 3.5 minutes under our goal of an hour and 15 minutes. It was nice that the 10k course finished with the 5k course because it felt like more people were behind us than really were, but overall as I promised myself at the beginning of the run, I felt good because I did it. It doesn't matter how other's finish, it matters how I run the race. We met our time goal and even more accomplishing to my weak runner's self-esteem was that I ran for 6.2 miles which is over 2 miles longer than I have ever ran straight before. Even if we did place last in our divisions, I was proud!

Mister still ended up with a trophy,
signed by a real astronaut.
I ended up with a Moon Pie.

The only major downer of this run is that about 4 miles in when I took my sunglasses off to wipe them clean, the bottom of my rim caught my nose ring and pulled it out. It didn't hurt, but it was the second one I lost in 24 hours. Maybe it's a sign. Even though I have more nose studs, I don't really like them, so I'm thinking it'll grow shut.


-Rachel


Note: I stole borrowed all Warrior Dash pictures from my great sister-in-law who was the official photographer for the weekend!

July Garden

To start off this post, here are some pictures taken recently.

SummerFest in Spencerville

My transplanted tree thing that blooms great when watered...

...and dies off quickly if not watered.

Raspberry growing slowly

Blackberry growing more quickly

Rachel is digging, and Ainsley is sleeping

Spaghetti squash running away from the garden

Tomatoes, some turned red the other day!

Last phase before adding stone for our patio!  We're getting there!

We've been enjoying the squash from our garden.  Squashes #4 and #5 are on the table, ready to be chopped up for the grill tomorrow, and #'s 6, 7, and 8 will be ready to pick any day now.  We made some zucchini cakes with one the other day, because Rachel loves the ones from Ruby Tuesdays.  They were pretty good, but we’re going to look for another recipe to see if we can find any better ones.

Zucchini/Summer Squash

We’re about to start enjoying the spaghetti squash too.  I just need to figure out how to cook it really well.  Honestly, I’m fascinated by it, but I’ve only ever eaten it once, ironically enough at Ruby Tuesdays as well.  So I hope I like it a whole lot, or else we’ll be giving away lots and lots.

Spaghetti Squash, in the wild

I savored these peas the other day too.  I’m not holding out much hope for many more of those since peas don’t grow very well in the high heat.  And with the temps hitting 100 last week……..my desire for lots of homegrown snap peas will either have to wait until fall or next spring.

Last of the Sugar Peas

My pole beans got destroyed this year.  I mean, the plants are still spreading and growing like crazy, but there’s no way they’re going to be able to produce any beans since the leaves have been going to church every single day, i.e., they’re super hole-y!  So that’s a bummer.  I might try to plant some more in a few weeks and see what I can do to protect them from being bug lunch, instead of our fried goodness with bacon and mushrooms.  Man, I can almost taste it.  I’m going to try again this year now!  Maybe even tomorrow I’ll put the seeds in!!!!!

Destroyed Pole Beans

Oo=99999=99====[[9,=== /im/   ;   (That was from Ainsley)

Ainsley is getting so big!

On a different note, we’ve been making our own bread a lot during the past 6 months or so.  There have been times we didn’t want to or forgot and really just wanted some store-bought bread, but we’ve been enjoying the smell of fresh bread in the house about every week.  Well, I made three kinds this week, each with a new twist.

The first, and most normal, had oatmeal and flax seed mixed into it.  The second, with an amazing new twist to it, had Italian seasonings mixed in—wait for it, wait for it—with parmesan cheese on top!  It was really good.  Rachel made an ‘Italian’ meal just so we could enjoy the fresh Italian bread with it.  And the third had cinnamon and raisins mixed in, with a little sugar on the top.  It was as good as I hoped it would be.  The touch of sugar on top really sealed it too.

Oatmeal and Flax Seed

Italian Seasonings with Parmesan Cheese Topping

Cinnamon and Raisins with Sugar Coating

So if these pictures cause you to drool, here's the recipe:

Mix 2 cups of flour (bread or all-purpose, they both turn out the same for me) and 2 cups of really warm water.  Then add each of these one at a time: 2 tablespoons sugar, 2 tablespoons active bread yeast, 2 teaspoons salt, 2 tablespoons oil (I use olive oil).  Mix it all together and let it sit for about 10 minutes.  It should be really bubbly when you do the next phase.

Stir/knead in another 3 cups of flour one at a time (sometimes I use whole wheat flour for 1 cup of it—because we have it and because it’s not as modified as the others are).  When the dough is the consistency of your ear lobe, and not too sticky, it’s good.  Cover it with a warm, damp cloth, and set it in a warm spot to rise for 45 minutes.  It should about double in size before you work it anymore.

At this point, you split it into however many loaves you want (typically 2 or 3 depending how quickly we think we’ll eat it).  This is the point where you flavor it or doctor it up as you desire.  I don’t use measured amounts here.  I just add the seasonings or whatever else as I think looks good.  When you’ve mixed it in, you want to make sure you shape it as you want it.

Place them in greased bread pans (I have tried olive oil, baking spray, and butter.  Butter works the best for me.).  Cover them again and let them sit for about a half hour, until they’ve about doubled in size and are pretty much the size of a finished loaf.  Preheat the oven to 350F, and let them bake for 25 minutes.

Let them cool on a rack or a cutting board before cutting, to ensure you don’t demolish your newly baked loaf.  But if you absolutely can’t resist diving in, I completely understand.  My advice there comes from experience!!!

Enjoy creating your own!

-Mister-

Dear Ainsley [10 months]

Dear Ainsley,

I thought for sure in this update, I'd be telling you how you are walking up a storm. Not that you "need" to walk yet, but you are.so.close! You continue to couch surfer with ease and on a few occasions you've taken one step and the quickly drop or cling onto whatever is nearest and on one occasion you took a step AND AN HALF. Regardless of when you decide to let go off stability security, it's enjoyable to watch your progress every... step of the way. :-)

You've had more teeth pop through this last month as well. Your bottom two came in together Easter weekend and then your next one was your top left--not the middle--tooth. I thought it was paper as you didn't even fuss when it popped through. Thankfully it wasn't supposed to be your middle or we would've needed to already start saving for the orthodontist! Shortly after that one popped through we noticed that your other THREE top teeth were visible through your gums. Just this past week your middle left tooth came and I think the outside right one will be next we shall see. You've been a bit more fussy with these three coming in, but nothing like the horror stories you hear. In particularly at night, you're more finicky about your mouth--paci, no paci, gnaw on hand. No complaints though.

In other night news, Papa and I are working on your night time routine. Because some nights you still thought all night buffets were appropriate, I decided first to focus on breaking that habit. It took three nights and less than 10 minutes of fussing upon your waking to put you back to sleep without nursing. I was pleasantly pleased. Since then with a goal bedtime about 9pm, you will commonly sleep until 2 or 4am, wake, fuss for a minute--usually the paci debacle--and then go back to sleep. If you wake after 6am, I usually nurse you and you'll sleep another 3 hours or so. So far it's working well for us, and I'm thankful for that. Our next step is to get you to sleep by yourself. It'll be more like a leap, but we'll be moving that way soon! Perhaps as we transition you to whole milk.

Posing for Papa's Ugly Tie Contest Pic...
Which he WON!
I think you had something to do with it.

One of my favorite things this month has been watching all your silly faces. You are very expressive from your scrunched face to your not to gummy grin. As silly as your scrunched face is, it's so hard not to constantly encourage you to make it!

My favorite scrunched face!
It reminds me of this post's comparision!

 One of your favorite things this month seems to be getting into all the bottom cupboards. You would stand and bang the doors open and closed for an hour if we'd let you--and oftentimes I would as it would give me time to cook or do dishes. I can't count how many times I said "We open and close, but we don't take things out!" Without fail you knocked the stack of your little food containers all over the floor once a day. Now though, Papa took away all the fun since putting the child proof latches on all the cupboards. In some ways, he Papa-proofed it too! ;-)

Before Papa ruined the fun!

Well sweet Pete, I'm looking forward to this next month with you as there is very little on my to-do list work wise and lots on my to-do list Ainsley-wise! You are my favorite little person. :-)

I have no idea where your funny faces come from!

Love
Momma