Brightwood Lights

One year ago today, Maria Joy burst into our lives. Her dramatic arrival sometimes seems like just yesterday. . . and sometimes seem like six lifetimes ago. So much has happened in the past year, between Caleb’s graduation and job hunt, our move to Baltimore, a trip to Germany, and the adjustment to a new city.

Yes, it’s been quite a first year of life for Miss Maria Joy, or “Missy Miss,” “Gabi,” “Ria Ria,” “Baby Babes,” or even “Princess Face,” as she is sometimes known around here. There have been moments of extreme stress in learning to care for three children, balanced by moments of pure joy, like when Maria first started giving us her infectious morning smiles. We look forward to her little greetings of, “Hi!” and her belly laugh, but we also are thankful for her ability to play quietly by herself for ten minutes here or there. She is resilient and stands up to her big siblings, but she is also gentle and quick to give a little pat with a comforting “Ei, ei.” (“There, there.”) She’s slightly skeptical of strangers and has a calm but serious side before she warms up. Her mischievous side shines through when she pulls Mama’s hair or makes a beeline for an un-gated staircase.

We are so glad that Maria is a part of our family and can’t get enough of that seven-toothed grin and those slobbery kisses. Though we occasionally feel a twinge of nostalgia for the warmth and frailty of brand new life, we also relish the excitement of watching her discover her world and become her own person. I’m sure before we know it, she’ll be dancing in her big sister’s footsteps, but for now, we’re happy she’s just who she is: A bald, sweet little ONE year old.

Happy Birthday, Missy Miss. Alles Gute. Wir lieben Dich!

I am sitting down to eat lunch, nervously wiggling my toes and trying to still the butterflies in my stomach and the adrenaline racing through my body. I haven’t been this nervous about a race since my track and cross-country days in high school.

It has been a LONG road to get here, beginning with submitting an entry to the lottery back in 2009. On April 3, 2010, my suspicion that I was pregnant was confirmed; a mere 4 days later, on April 7, I found out that I was one of the lucky lottery winners and had a slot for the 2010 NYC marathon. Obviously that wasn’t going to happen. After deferring my entry, I spent over a year telling people, “I don’t know where I’ll be living after Caleb graduates, but I know for sure I’ll be in NYC on Sunday, November 6, 2011!”

Then, in late January of this year, about 6.5 weeks after Maria’s birth, I began running again. Miles were slow and felt long, but by mid-summer, I had shed all but the last few pounds of baby weight and was ready to start training in earnest.

I used an official training plan this time (Hal Higdon’s Intermediate II), with some slight modifications, so my training kicked off on July 10. Since then, I have completed runs in Germany, Georgia, Alabama, DC, Virginia, and Maryland, logging 556.5 miles in heat, rain, wind, dark, cold, humidity, and more. I have trained harder for this race than for any in a long time.

And now, two days before the race, I am READY. Ready to run my heart out. Ready to run a PR, but also ready for the fact that it just may not be my day. Ready to take a 5 AM bus to Staten Island. Ready to spend 3 hours pre-race with Dad and KK hanging out in the cold. Ready to have fun. Ready to hurt. Ready to run 26.2 miles through the streets of New York City.

See you at the finish.

A look in pictures at the last few months:

- Strolling along the Inner Harbor

- Playing in a spray fountain at the Inner Harbor

- Taking in the Grand Prix from Caleb’s office

- Exploring local playgrounds

- Running a race (Nancy) in Montgomery County (suburbs of DC)

- Date (courtesy of Nancy’s visiting mom!) consisting of brunch at Miss Shirley’s, a stroll through Lexington Market, and a visit to North Point State Park.

- Apple & pumpkin picking

- Two-day getaway with friends to the Shenandoah Valley

- And fun around the house

Last week, Simona was nearly expelled from Kindergarten.

What? Sweet Simona, kicked out of school within the first month?

Yes. Back in early September, we received a letter from the city school board that three of her immunizations were not up to date and that she would need to be fully vaccinated by September 12 in order to continue attending school. We thought she current on all shots, but the school office insisted she was not.
So we quickly found a doctor and scheduled appointments for her and Maria (9 month check up). Fortunately, the doctor and the nurse both confirmed that she was fully compliant with all CDC-recommended immunization schedules and didn’t charge us for the visit. (Glad Maria had an appointment, too, so it was not a total waste of time!) The nurse also offered to upload the records to a system that can be accessed by city agencies, including the City Schools.
After two more trips to the school front office, I was told that that should take care of it.

And then I got home after a long morning of wrangling three children at the dentist’s office, complete with the bad news of cavities, only to find a message telling me that Simona was out of compliance and that, for the sake of her and the other students’ health and safety, she would need to be expelled. After a few frantic phone calls to the school and to her doctor (and to Caleb, in tears!), we finally found out what the problem was.

The school had incorrectly entered her date of birth to show that she was born on 12/06/06 instead of 06/12/06. Meaning that she would not have been born yet when she received several of the vaccines. (Also meaning that she would not be old enough to be in Kindergarten yet, I might add. . .) The computer was generating an automatic “non-compliant” message. After reassuring the secretary that I was sure Simona was born in June and that yes, I do have the birth certificate to prove it, she believed me and corrected the date, oh-so-graciously not requiring me to bring in the birth certificate (which they already have on file anyway!). Problem instantly solved.

Phew. Education and future preserved; expulsion from Kindergarten avoided.

Do you remember that old joke about the “see food” diet? (If not, please ask your local 11 year old. I’m sure he/she can fill you in.)

Well, I’ve decided to try my own version: the C-food diet.

My motivation stems from the fact that Maria is approaching 10 months old, and I still feel like I look like I am 4 months pregnant. According to the scale,* I am back to my “pre-pregnancy” weight. And my clothes mostly all fit, but somehow 3 pregnancies changes a body’s shape enough that some don’t sit quite right anymore. Anyway, I still feel like there’s work to do. Probably ab-toning would be a good place to start, but with marathon training in high gear, I have no extra time to devote to (additional) exercising.

So modifying the diet it is. This is a diet I made up myself, and it’s simple. There’s only one rule: I cannot eat any food that begins with a “C” unless it previously has been alive. So carrots are in, while cookies are out. Chicken is ok, but chocolate and cream (whipped, ice, etc.), unfortunately, are a no-no. Cheese is forbidden, but celery or cranberries are approved. And so on.

I’m allowing myself the exception of not being too particular when I am eating something someone else has prepared (go ahead and throw that cheese on your lasagna, and then invite me over!) just to keep it from becoming a burden on myself or others. The goal here is simplicity!

The NYC Marathon is on November 6, so I will try to adhere to this diet until the race is over. I’ll reassess the situation at that point; until then, don’t expect to find me chomping on chalupas or chowing on chips anytime soon!

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(*Note: we do not own a scale, so this is according to one that I stepped on when I was touring a local gym.)