Did the tri and reached my goal

Last weekend I completed the triathlon. It seems all that freaking out and pre-race neurosis was for nothing, because I beat my overall time (for this race) by 6 minutes! My second goal was to hit my pre-pregnancy goal by race day and I am now under that weight by almost five pounds. It was a lot of fun, and I was reminded of how empowered I feel once I cross the finish line. It's always good to have a fitness goal and acheive it. Doing triathlons remind me that I am strong, and this year I also thought a lot about how I want Zooey to grow up in a healthy, fit household. It was good, too, for me to have something to focus on other than mommyhood. :)

Freeze!

I have to wonder if all mommies have moments where they wish they could stop the clock, scoop their children into an embrace and just hold them there. The last eight and a half months have gone by faster than any other period of time in my life. I look at Zooey and I want to freeze everything about her right now; I don't want to ever forget it. And yet, I know that someday my job as mommy will be as complete as it can be, and she will be grown leaving these brief moments as memories. And I know that every stage will bring more fun, memorable moments along with it. I want to remember...

...the way she smiles and wiggles her whole body in joy when I go in to get her up from sleep
...the way she practically jumps out of my arms to get to Daddy when he gets home
...her fast, excited breathing when she's happy and can barely contain herself
...the way she practices making different sounds in the backseat while we're driving somewhere
...the way she furrows her brow in concentration when she's reaching for her finger foods, or when she falls backwards as if to say "what just happened?"
...how she daintily toys with my necklace then squeals and tries to put it in her mouth
...the way she snuggles on my lap as I read to her
...the weight of her in my arms as she stares outside when she wakes up

There's so much more. I replay these moments in my mind each day before I go to sleep - the sweet blessing she is and how much fun we have together as a family. It is all just so sweet...it leaves me without words.

An adorable giveaway

The Chronicles of a Babywise Mom blog is doing another amazing, cute giveaway. I am hoping to win and crossing my fingers that I do. The stuff is just too cute! Check it out: http://www.babywisemom.com/2010/06/product-review-boutique-patterns.html

Zooey is 8 months old today!

I cannot believe that we have but four months until Zooey is a year old. Last year at this time, I was 22 weeks pregnant. Halfway there, looking forward to a week off from work for our last kids-free vacation for a very long time. I remember looking forward to that trip, the time I would get with Ryan alone and wondering how our future trips would be. I've been on two short trips with Zooey, one alone and one with Ryan and his family. There were some areas where it was tougher, but she was also such a blessing; she enhanced the trips. Don't get me wrong, I know Ryan & I will take some much cherished alone trips away from our kids, but I think my perspective is just a little different. I now see that it's not as bad as I thought it was going to be, and I enjoy her so much that I want to spend every minute I can with her. :)

So - Zooey is 8 months old. She weighs about 16 lbs., 6 oz.; I don't know how long she is, because our next check up is next month.

Zooey LOVES:

"where's Zooey?" and "peek-a-boo"

independent playtime

bathtime in the big tub

pulling toys out of a basket and examining each one

books

Daddy. He's like a rockstar in our home.

her jumparoo

her tiny doll that says "I love you"

her bunny that goes with us whenever we go bye-bye

her "Raffy" the giraffe

having her tummy and chin tickled

going for walks and actually stays awake and talks now

when we open the blinds

Zooey dislikes:

being away from Mommy - even in the same room (separation anxiety has started)

strangers

having her arms touched in bathtime, getting lotion on them or getting dressed

waiting to eat

Zooey now:

rubs her hair when she's sleepy or self-soothing - it's cute!

eats some finger foods (more for practice at this point)

stays up about 2 hours at a time, give or take a few minutes

...and as of last week, she sits independently!