Adventures in Vegas

Wow…3 weeks turns into 4 months!! How time flies. Truth be told I know I have been absent from blogging and every day I can think of things to blog about but then I realize that there is not 30 hours in the day. Since I have the time now I thought I would catch everyone up.

How did I magically make the time? Well, I went to Vegas! Yes, that is right; I am in Sin City BY MYSELF!! Probably one of the hardest things I have done to be away from my daughter and awesome husband…but, I needed it. Last year I was signed up for the Vegas marathon and then I found out we had a little Emma on the way less than 2 weeks before; that kind of put things to a halt.

Fast forward to 2010…I was not sure how I would recover from the pregnancy/childbirth/being a mommy thing, so I kept the idea of the Vegas marathon in the back of my head. When I was able to complete the Denver ½ marathon in October feeling really good about it, I figured why not go for the full?? So, Vegas trip #2 was booked and trust me there was no way another pregnancy would get in the way, LOL!

So that is why I am in Vegas. I had an awesome race, but back to that in a bit. I want to talk about Emma first and how being a “mother” has changed me

Emma is a riot. She is a piece of art. A total blend of Gregory’s and my personality. She is curious like Gregory always wanting to look at things, touch them and learn. She is impatient and hungry like me (Emma is a piggy like me). Most obvious though is how she likes to fight sleeping (my trait). She is a great sleeper at night…we can get a good 10 hours out of her (knock on wood not to jinx ourselves) but Lord help you if you are taking care of her during the day. NO naps…really! Only 20 minutes at most; and when she falls asleep during the day she fights it and throws a fit before finally succumbing. The evenings are epic; we have kicking, screaming, growling and eventually she settles into her deep sleep for the night. Don’t get me wrong, I love this and would prefer it over a baby up every 2 hours at night (been there, done that!)But it can be exhausting. Emma also likes attention. During the day it is at struggle to even use the bathroom with her because she is so curious and does NOT like being left without a parent in sight. We love it! It really is fun, hilarious and rewarding to know someone needs you/your attention that much and the rewards are exponential.

Ok, so back to me and how being a mom has changed me. Since this would turn into a novel if I actually wrote it out, I will try point-form:

Patience: I have a lot more of it. You learn your schedule revolves around someone else and their schedule, yet it is the most rewarding thing ever!

Self-Acceptance: All at once the things you thought were important don’t seem as important anymore after having a child. There is no time to worry about what others think of you, try to impress or be someone you are not. Being a mom supplies a sense of self-confidence I cannot describe, but I know I have grown more confident as a person.

Physical: Believe it or not, I don’t care how much I weigh post-pregnancy or how I look (other than those handful of insecure days…we all have them). I just “made” a baby and that is amazing; why the heck should I be worried about my weight? I used to worry about this but not anymore. I think we all get too obsessed on a scale number to take 10 steps back and re-evaluate the whole picture. Yes, I do know I have lost a bunch of the baby weight and I have good genes and I am running a marathon 4 months post-Emma makes me sound like a hypocrite, but this is my experience. I am sure that even if I was ### lbs heavier and struggling I would still try to walk the marathon because I love the event. It’s about the challenge and satisfaction you get from completing such an event.

I now have hips and my body has changed a ton!! I don’t have saggy boobs because I never had boobs to begin with, so I guess I should be thankful! All of these changes I have embraced. I can relate it to the”battle scars” of mommyhood. I don’t want to get far into this subject because it seems very shallow to me and there are more important things to write/think about.

Time-Management: There is never enough time..PERIOD. I have learned to make the most of my time. I thought I was resourceful and organized before; well let me tell you, having a kid makes you realize how inefficient you were before. I will leave it at that.

Emotional: I have learned to love in a whole new way. I cannot describe the amount of love I feel for my husband and daughter at this time. We are a growing family, yet one unit. It is so satisfying.

Social: You really have to work at this aspect of life. If not, you can become a hermit. I try my best to keep in contact with my friends and make sure that I get “out” in order to sustain some normalcy.

This list could go on and on…but I eventually need to wrap this blog entry up so I am going to close with a mini race-report.

Here it goes:

I ran with Elvis….and it was fun!! First 13 miles of the race were up and down the strip and they flew by and it was so much fun!! At mile 11 I had some tummy problems and made a few stops. With a little care and attention to what was going on (aka immodium!) I was back on track by mile 14 and kept plugging away at a constant pace. By mile 18 the legs let me know they were tired and I told them to shut-up. Believe it or not, as I felt my legs turn to lead I kept looking at my garmin and the pace remained consistent…although effort increased exponentially. At mile 25 I knew I had a PR in the bag despite my previous stops earlier and told myself to “suck it up princess”….which really seemed so lame and shallow compared to everything that has happened in my life thus far this year, but I kept pushing until the finish…and then I finished…5 minute PR…game over, time to party!!

There you have it, race report galore. As you may notice, racing and race-reporting is not much of a priority right now, but more of a privilege. Half of this post should be dedicated to my wonderful husband who supports me 200% which enables me to do these crazy things that I love.

Tomorrow I am home and I could not be happier!! I cannot wait to see my amazing family.
I am probably one of the very few who will hit the pit before the bars open in Vegas because I want to be well rested to see my family tomorrow. But, that is how it goes..and I am content. I will however admit to having a “Vegas Slurpee” which was extremely yummy and well worth it!

Cheers and Happy Holidays!