I'm a runner...

OK, maybe the title of this post is a little overzealous.  What I should say is that I ran a 5k and I am pretty sure a runner that does not make.  I have always admired those people that can just lace up their shoes and take off for miles and miles.  Oddly enough I also admire their physique...you know, SKINNY hahaha!  I have never really had a relationship with running and by that I mean that I neither love it nor hate it.  I have also never had a runners body and by that I mean SKINNY!  But if the tunes are pumping I could run for a while.  However, if I am not feeling it, there are not enough beat pounding songs on iTunes to get this girl in gear.
Lately I have been feeling the need to challenge myself physically.  I really don't know why or exactly what I am trying to prove but I do know that I am trying to prove it to the most impossible person on earth, MYSELF!  I could really care less what the rest of the world thinks because quite honestly it doesn't even compare to the pressure and expectations I put on myself!  After tossing the idea around with some of my favorite ladies, my workout buddies, we decided to just pick a day and go for it!
My goal...30 minutes or less, no walking, and no internal dialogue that sometimes sounds like this, "you suck", "this sucks", "just quit", "I hate this", "I can't do it"....oh yeah and one minor detail that dates back about ten years!  The first, and only, time I ever ran a 5k was in college...it wasn't my idea but I didn't really have a choice.  I had never run more than a mile in my life and here I am running 3.1 miles....I didn't walk but in the last mile I feel someone just flying by me.  I look over and I was being passed by a man pushing a double stroller UPHILL...UGH, talk about defeat!  This was the basis for my final goal...I WILL NOT BE PASSED BY A STROLLER!
I am not usually one to get nervous but I must admit that I was a little nervous leading up to the race.  I use the term race lightly...my poor Mom thought I was about to sprint my way through an obstacle course with hurdles and pole vaults.
Mom:  "How far is a 5k?  1 mile?"
Me:  "No Mom, it's 3.1 miles"
Mom:  "Teresa, be careful!  Don't fall down and skin your knees"
Me: "Mom, what kind of run do you think I am doing...I am not jumping hurdles or anything...it is just a "fun run"
So...to refrain from making a long post longer I will sum it up!
From start to finish I felt great.  My internal dialogue went something like this "you can do this"  "you will finish"  "I think I can go faster"  "I refuse to let a stroller pass me"  "I can't believe I am almost there"

As I approached the finish line I noticed the time...26 minutes and 50 seconds....really?  I took off!  All of the sudden my goal of under 30 minutes went out the window and I was now determined to finish in under 27 minutes (funny how that happens)...my final time 26 minutes and 58 seconds.

Overall I was pleased!  I did something I set out to do and I actually had fun doing it!  I ran with a group of amazing ladies who are so incredibly supportive and my 2 favorite men were there cheering me on at every turn and most importantly as I approached the finish line!

 
Since I am bragging about my men cheering me on I figure I better share the evidence...listen closely and you can hear my hubby saying "pump it out" and my baby boy cheering "Mama"...makes me feel good!!!

Magical Mexico...

So I am a little behind on this post...whatever!!!!
Two weeks ago we spent a magnificent 6 days in the beautiful Riviera Maya...we stayed at Dreams Riviera Cancun Resort and Spa!  This was our second trip to the same resort and if that doesn't tell you how awesome it is, I don't know what will!
Rather than write a long post about all of the details I will just give you the highlights in pictures! (warning:  LOTS of pictures begin now...)

Paradise Indeed!

Let the fun begin...

First afternoon was rainy...upgraded to Jacuzzi on our balcony... priceless

Putting the family in family vacation!

Beach Front Playground...

Nana and Pops came this year...

"Swing Up" bar

All Inclusive means "1 more virgin daiquiri please"

Happy Boy

AMAZING  Ceviche....is it bad that I ordered this everyday?

The seafood was so fresh and Muy Delicioso

Daily 2+ hour naps in the cabana!

Fabulous Family Dinners

First Class...

Breathtaking views

Date Night...

New Friends....

Recreating the same pose from 2010

Chess Anyone?

If these pictures do not make you want to get on a plane right now, you are blind!!!  This was an amazing vacation that absolutely could not have gone better!  Aiden was an Angel...he slept on the plane, napped at the cabana, played at the pool all day (everyday), made new friends and brought new meaning to the phrase "go with the flow"!  I am one proud Momma...was there any question?

When I was a kid we didn't take family vacations, in fact we didn't do anything as a family.  I did, however, vacation with my "other" family and I am so thankful for them and the places they took me...I have mentioned them before in this blog!  I used to dream about the life I wanted for my children...a life full of fun memories, new experiences, and lots and lots of family time!  I am lucky enough to have married a man who feels the same way, a man who works very hard to make sure that we can do the fun things that I have the pleasure of blogging about, a man that would rather be with his family than anywhere else in the world!  I know that when he deploys our fun excursions will be a little more rare but there is no doubt that I cherish every amazing moment that we have made thus far and the ones that I know are to come...as long as we are together there will always be a ton of "Adventures in Gunder-land"!

Moments...

As I was snuggling Aiden tonight before I put hime in bed I said to him, "Aiden, am I a good Mommy?"...He smiled and gave me a big nod YES!!!  In that moment, nothing else mattered!!!

***More blogs coming...including a post about our vacation in Mexico!!!

Mommy and Aiden gymnastics

2 posts in 1 day...what has gotten into me!  Just thought I would post a cute video of Aiden and I doing some tumbling...posting to the blog is the easiest way for my Mom to see it quickly!  Please excuse the tank and gym shorts...but I can't tumble in my normal Gucci Dress and Christian Louboutin shoes LOL!

one down one to go

Last year, after several health scares and a terrifying trip to the oncologist, we found out that Aiden was allergic to eggs and milk!  At the time, we were so relieved by his diagnosis that we didn't really put much thought into 2 things; 1) the number of foods that contain milk and/or eggs and 2) the difficulty in feeding a baby/toddler a milk and egg free diet.  Once I came to the realization that I would never grocery shop, order food, or cook the same way again, the reality of our next year kind of scared me!  What am I going to feed my child?  No eggs or milk seemed simple enough.  However, when I began to read the labels on Gerber baby food, soy formula, and simple breakfast syrup (butter free, of course) I realized that milk, and milk bi-products are everywhere...cheese, yogurt, bread, pasta, hot dogs, chicken tenders, fish sticks, cereal, sausage and even bottled sweet tea (not that he drinks sweet tea but this example helps when Nana wants to give Aiden some of her tea haha).
As Aiden began to transition from an 8 month old exclusively breast fed baby to a 1 year old who needed table food for his motor skill development, weight gain, and nourishment and onto a curious 18 month old who wanted what Momma was eating; my plain meat, fruit and vegetable diet became much less interesting and my creativity was shot!  I believe I was actually shunned by a group of moms when I panicked after I noticed a cracker in Aiden's hand that contained milk.  (either that or they think I am crazy)  HA...if only they knew the luxury of making their child "cheese toast" for every meal or simply ripping open a Gerber Graduate and popping it in the over for a minute!  Apparently they have no sympathy for my desire to avoid Children's Hospital pediatric emergency room for the 4th time, or my fear of injecting my 20lb child with an epi-pen where the dosage is actually for a child 30lbs and up but it's either that or nothing or the agony that Leif and I went through while we waited 2 weeks to see an oncologist and the longest hour of our lives while we waited for Aiden's blood work to come back!  Anyway, I digress, after a long year of reading labels and careful cooking, Aiden returned to the allergist to have his annual test!  The first test was a prick test...he was pricked with 8 different "pricks" whole egg, egg yolk, egg white, whole milk, casein (milk protein), a positive reading prick and a negative one!

We could see some swelling right away but resisted our urges to diagnose...after about 30 minutes the doctor came in to examine...Aiden FAILED all egg pricks again, meaning he is still allergic to eggs...however his milk prick was borderline which meant he would have blood drawn to see what his exact level was.  A few days later, Aiden's wonderful allergist called me (yes the DR picked up the phone and called me herself...does that even happen anymore?) to let us know that his blood test was NEGATIVE for a milk allergy...AMEN!!!  The next step was to do an oral tolerance test...this took FOREVER...
dip stick in milk, rub on arm (wait 15 minutes)
dip stick in milk, rub on tongue (wait 15 minutes)
give 1 ml orally (wait 15 minutes)
give 1/4 teaspoon orally (wait 15 minutes)
give 1/2 teaspoon orally (wait 15 minutes)
give 1 teaspoon orally (wait 15 minutes)
Have you ever spent over 1.5 hours in a tiny exam room with a 20 month old...thank God for Elmo and Angry Birds!

The results....SWEET MILK SUCCESS!!!!  Aiden has officially outgrown his milk allergy!  What do you do to celebrate such a milestone?...give that boy his first taste of ice cream...I went against my policy of not rewarding Aiden with food or sweets and let him have a milkshake!  Did he like it?  You tell me...

I am so incredibly thankful that he has outgrown his milk allergy and to be completely honest I am also grateful for the year of learning I had!  With out this allergy I may not have been forced to feed my child in a way that was extremely healthy, fresh, and limited on processed food!  I learned a tremendous amount about hidden "bi-products" in foods and although I am not going to go crazy vegan natural organic parent on him, I am very grateful for the full year he had to learn to love healthy foods and I was even more proud that after he drank about 1/4 of his celebratory milkshake, handed it to me, and reached for his bag of blueberries and finished every last one of them!

It's only the beginning...

I completely realize that I am a lame blogger...however I have been trying to really live in the moment and enjoy every second of fun that we are having which means bloggy time is rare and very  low on my list of priorities!  We have been extremely busy doing lots of fun things as a family before family time becomes much more rare...even more rare than bloggy time...when Leif reports back to sea duty!  I really can't believe that it isn't even June yet...we have already been to the beach several times, to the pool, and on the boat...this means that I am already on my second bottle of sunscreen and I just might have purchased 2 new bathing suits in anticipation of our annual trip to the Riviera Maya (6 days away)!
We somehow managed to jam pack more activity into this Memorial Day weekend than most people do in a summer and to be honest with you, I wouldn't have it any other way!  My mom was here for 2.5 weeks and before she left on Friday, I treated her to a massage, we did some shopping, had a nice lunch and then it was off to the airport...1 hour later Leif's cousin and his girlfriend came to stay the night with us and by the time they left on Saturday morning we were walking out the door for a fun day on Nana and Pop's boat!  Boating makes me smile...and the fact that Aiden loves boating makes my heart smile as well!  This was our first official boating trip and my biggest concern was whether or not Aiden would wear his life vest....

Sweet Success!!

As I mentioned in my previous post, Aiden's vocabulary is progressing everyday...this weekend some of his new favorite words were walk, touch, motor, boat and see.  He wants to "touch" and "see" everything...OH and his favorite word/person is Pop's...poor Pop's, I think he held, followed, or played with Aiden all weekend!

And Momma and Daddy had a little fun on the sandbar while Pop's entertained Aiden...

I can't believe that it is only Sunday and we still have all day tomorrow (memorial day) to create some more fabulous memories!  I am pretty sure we will do a lot of "walking", "seeing", and "touching" if Aiden has anything to do with it...Pop's went home...he needed a break!!!

20 Months?

Really?  Is my Son actually 20 months old?  I was ok with the 18 months and the 19 months but 20 months just seems so close to the age of 2!  There is absolutely nothing wrong with the age of 2 but I just can't wrap my head around the fact that I will have a 2 year old...it seems like just yesterday I was walking the neighborhood...and walking...and walking...and walking...just hoping to go into labor so my family, who had been at my house since my due date, would stop staring at me...literally trying to put me into labor with their looks!  I enjoy every second that I have with Aiden and I look forward to every little thing (and big thing) that is to come!

This is what 20 months looks like for Aiden:

Your nickname is Monkey...you love to climb, swing and hang from everything...

You have started to come out of your shell...while visiting family in Rock Hill, SC...Aiden would just grab someone by the hand and take them on a walk...for a little boy who just 2 months ago, only wanted Momma, I was very proud!

You are not a fan high chairs in restaurants...you would rather stand up in a booth...what a big boy!!!

You love keys and cars...you have always loved keys but now that you can say the word...it is too cute..."keeeeey"..."Keeeeeeey" and you love to explore the car...although this Momma learned her lesson when you broke her automatic sunshade and her sun visor all in a 2 minute span...the $2k it is going to cost to fix it made me want to throw up but a valuable, or shall I say costly, lesson was learned!

You learn a new word (or two) everyday...but Elmo is STILL your favorite word!

You love the water (or laler as you call it)...bath tub, faucet, water table, pool or drinks...you just love anything that has to do with water!

This time last year you were sitting in a cooler at the beach...this year you are all over the place in "Aiden's Ocean"...you aren't a huge fan of the soft sand though!

You STILL love gadgets...cell phone, remote control, cameras...you name it...Daddy has yet to let you explore the Ipad (smart Daddy)

We are "working" on our manners...I am trying to teach you "no ma'am"...right now you say "No Man"

Your first sentence..."Uh Oh...It's Broken"

Balls, bubbles and Balloons...still your favorite!

OH....And you are the cutest little boy with the most shining personality!!!  (I might be biased but other people have confirmed this)

Every day is Mother's Day when I look at this sweet face!!!