Why January 2012 wasn't awesome and the rest of the year is going to ROCK.

Okay, so catch up time. I may never post Christmas pictures. And I haven't taken that many pictures so far this year. A run down of the not-so-wonderful January we've had, in 100 words (I hope) or less:

My mom came for a visit, had to be admitted to the hospital next day with chest pains. No heart attack, but diabetes. No big shock, but hopefully motivation for a change for her.

It occurred to me (with some prompting from my best bud Allison) that things were not as they should be with Summer. Her sleep pattern was too erratic and she still wasn't potty trained--after some serious thinking, some time with the doctor and six vials of blood, and a two week test period of a gluten free diet, we reached the following conclusions: We needed to move up her bedtime, she DOESN'T have Celiac disease, but she does seem to have very strong gluten sensitivity. As in any form of gluten upsets her stomach so much that she complains of a tummy ache and then loses control of her bowels. Don't I feel like mother of the year for not picking up on THAT sooner.

So we've spent the first bit of February adjusting to the whole idea of having a child with food sensitivity in the house. Its so, so very weird for us--we usually eat well and clean, but we make a lot of our own baked goods and do eat a lot of wheat. So its been an adjustment. Its hard to eat gluten free on a budget, so we're adjusting there too. Summer has to adjust to not eating some of the things she loves, and we have to adjust by FINDING a way to substitute the things she loves with something similar.

We've been blessed with family coming to visit--first my mom, now Brad's grandparents, and my dad is coming on Saturday.

But here's a list of why the rest of the year is going to rock.
Now that we have a handle on her stuff, Summer is acting much more like the brilliant little girl we know she is and hopefully we REALLY WILL be done with potty training too.

I'm running my first half marathon on March 4th. Not only will my friend and neighbor Jess be joining me, but so will my long, long time internet bud Amanda. Amanda and I have known each other since my pre-kid days. We both have weims. She always let me pick her brain when I started running--she is a freaking amazing endurance athlete. So to have her down here for my first half makes me excited beyond words. She's been on my top 5 people-to-meet list for quite some time.

April includes a trip to Maryland to see my very best high school bud, Sandra. For a baby shower no less. We haven't seen each other in 5-ish years, but Sandra kept me sane through the disaster that was high school. I'm so excited for her to embark on the journey of motherhood, there aren't even words for it :-) On top of that little bundle, who's ETA is June, my best bud Allison has a bundle with an ETA of July. Babies, babies, everywhere! A summer-long trip to the Northeast may be in order . . .

May brings a surprise from Hubby--tickets to Nickelback's Here and Now Tour. They will be playing with Seether, My Darkest Days, and Bush. I had no clue Bush was still around, but the other 3 are absolutely off the hook rock bands that I love. And listen to on an almost daily basis while I work out. Then my big boy will be turning 6. And then the summer baby boom discussed above.

So, January was terribly stressful. But I can't wait to see what the rest of the year brings. Probably less blogging from me, since time is always in short supply. But I'll still try to bring the highlights. HOPEFULLY!!

Sherry's Run

Yes, I realize the entire month of January went by without me actually posting anything other than catch-ups from December. And that I STILL haven't posted pictures of Christmas Day. Suffice to say 2012 has been INSANE so far. I promise my very next post (which I am going to write and schedule) will closely follow this one. But yesterday I participated in something note-worthy and wanted to document it here.

Its no secret that since Summer was born, I have become a bonafied runner. I was never athletic, was called sloth in gym class in middle school, and used to watch people running as I drove in my car eating fast food thinking "I could NEVER run." But its grown into a part of life for me. I was recently discussing fitness/weightloss/etc. with a friend and dug up some old pictures of the "Old" me. I can't even really remember what drove that person--I wasn't a foodie, I didn't run, and I didn't have the same amazing circle of friends I do now. So I'll take the new me any day of the week. The me that thinks anything is possible. The me that is running a half marathon in 3 short weeks (SO excited!).

Anyway, one of the running blogs I follow is Shut Up and Run. SUAR blogged about her cousin, Sherry, who made national news after disappearing from her morning run in January. In addition to Sherry, many women step out their doors for run and never go home. Sometimes the what ifs can be terrifying. SUAR organized a virtual run in Sherry's memory, which I was glad to participate in on Saturday. It serves as a reminder that we can never be to careful when we step out the door each day, and that every day truly is a gift. Stop by Too Tall Fritz to read some great safety tips, in memory of Sherry and every other runner that didn't make it home.