P's new haircut

I got Pierce's hair cut this am. It's jut too hot for him to have it this long. I had planned on cutting more (but I just adore his long hair). We still chopped a good 2 inches off though and it's lighter and choppier. I LOVE it!

Before:

After:

P's 4 Year Well Baby

Pierce 4 year well baby was this afternoon. He's growing great and is perfectly healthy! He's still right smack in the middle 50th percentile.
Height: 39 1/2 inches
Weight: 36 pounds
His vision is 20/30 which is excellent for this age (20/20 not expected until 1st grade). He entertained our ped and her nurse with his awesome sense of humor, incredible vocabulary, and demonstrated some skills.

Unfortunately this wonderful appt was overshadowed.......he failed his hearing test. sad.gif Mark and I've been worried since his last ear infection b/c he often asks, "What did you say?" At first we thought it was just a habit from when his ears were stopped up with fluid. I spoke to his teacher about it and he said he had noticed also. He, too, thought maybe it was a habit though b/c he found many times when he wouldn't repeat himself, Pierce would answer/do what he said/asked anyway.

Our ped confirmed that kids do develop habits like that but since he didn't pass his test, we need to look into it. She said sometimes depending on the shape of the ear canal you may not get a good read and suggested we do an old fashioned raise your hand test. He failed that one too. His ears are clear even though he has the sniffles. She suggested re-checking in a few weeks when we come back for a nurse visit for vaccinations or getting a referral to an audiologist who has more specialized equipment. We're going ahead with the referral. She didn't seem concerned at all and I'm trying not to be either, especially since his speech and language are so advanced. But it's sure hard not to worry...........

Hot Springs

P's 4th birthday

4 years ago today the good Lord blessed our lives beyond imagine.... Happy Birthday my dear, sweet Pierce! We love you to the moon and back!

We had FOUR celebrations. Pierce had a party at Going Bonkers with his friends (*think indoor McDonald's playscape times 10 and arcades like Chuck E. Cheese) with pizza and cookies. Next, he celebrated at school with his teachers and classmates with a Star Wars cake. Then we celebrated in Hot Springs, AR with extended family and a chocolate bundt cake. We also had a small intimate party with just the 4 of us at our lakehouse rental this evening. Here is a slideshow of all the festivities.

running update

Today marks 4 complete weeks of exercising. Despite the setbacks of runner's knee, I'm actually seeing results! I weighed in and measured today. I didn't look at my starting measurements beforehand so as not to skew my numbers any. I am down 4 pounds. My originally goal wasn't to lose weight however. I just want to tone up and get healthy. I'm so glad you guys encouraged me to take my measurements b/c I can see that I'm toning up in ways my scale doesn't show me. My arms and thighs are 1/2 inch smaller and my waist and bottom are 1/4 inch smaller. I'm so proud of myself for sticking through bruised shins and fighting through rehabbing my knees. I'm still walking 1 1/2 miles MWF and strength training on TR. I hope to resume running 2 miles by June.

Mother's Day

I was spoiled rotten by my darling husband and precious babies. They surprised me with a big beautiful bouquet of spring flowers--greens, yellows, and whites, 2 super sweet cards, money for a Namaste knitting bag (purse) and wallet, and lots of snuggles!

P's party

still walking

Harper and I walked again this am. I looked like an actual power walker. My left knee is almost ready to run again, but my right knee, not so much. I think a few more weeks of walking, strengthening, and stretching and I'll be ready to try running again. We have a jam packed May. I won't be able to get to a running store to get fitted before June anyway (it's about a 40 minute drive away). This will force me to wait until I'm fully healed before trying again (I was tempted today).

ORS' advice and more walking

My darling hubby spoke with a colleague on Monday who advised me to rest my knee and cross train for now (and continue with Ibuprofen). Running isn't entirely ruled out once I heal! :-D Just need to take it slow.......

I've lost 2 pounds since I started 4 weeks ago. I'm sick though so that could be the culprit. We walked 1 1/2 mile yesterday again. There was a lil' more pep in my step. Knees are healing--left knee much quicker than the right. I'm so anxious to get back to running but will wait to completely heal to prevent another injury.

The massage therapist I had for my spa day the other day is a former PT and triatholon runner. She had to some great tips and worked wonders on some tendons/muscles that support me knees. So I'm continuing walking, strengthening, and stretching. I got a great rec for a running store to fit me for some new shoes!

day 1 of self imposed knee rehab

Harper and I took a 1 1/2 mile walk this am at the park. I had originally planned to walk my running route--~2 miles but she had other plans. She gagged on her snack midway through my 1st loop and threw up everywhere. I cleaned her up with her shirt and strolled her to the car with just her skirty on. She's not sick anymore, just gagged. I could've kept walking but wanted to clean her up with soap and was afraid she'd burn w/o a shirt on (even with the jogger canopy). I finished the loop (which is a mile and a half) looking like a power walker in slow motion (hurts to bend my knees so I keep them stiff). It's prolly for the best I didn't walk as long as planned......... Still waiting for Mark to talk to an ORS (hopefully today).