It's all happy*

I think we're finally past Maddy's virus (just a wee residual cough) and there doesn't appear to be more teething... And so Maddy is her happy and easy going normal self! I have to say it again, I love my daughter because she is my daughter but I love her personality too - she's just such a fun and easy-smiling little girl! On Tuesday we clinked glasses, to celebrate the 2 amazing dad's in the room. Clinking glasses? HILARIOUS! So much in life is hilarious!

Every morning when we walk into daycare we start in the toddler room and I sign Maddy in then change her shoes and hang her coat and put her lunch by the fridge. Next we move to the older kid room. And Maddy starts every morning at the "Science Lab". She looks around, grabs the bottles of rocks or dirt or colours and shakes and plays. She touches everything in the area then wanders off to the rest of the room. She'll linger by the leggo, then most often it's to the books and she's pointing and asking "dis?" or naming what she can. The staff at the daycare have positive things to say about Maddy's development. They are happy with her language skills and say she's soon going to be a talker. She's just a happy and easygoing child. We are so unbelievably lucky to have such a great kid.

Sometimes I wonder why/how we are so blessed. I think most of it is just Maddy's personality, which we lucked out on. But maybe part of it is that we really try to focus on her and provide mostly positive reinforcement to her actions (the kid LOVES to be praised). And we both work so hard on not sweating the small stuff, we're careful which issue to make a battle. And, honestly, unless her safety is in jeopardy there are few battles worth fighting. Well, her safety and that Og is NOT allowed in the bath with her in the evening. Which, let me tell you, led to an epic bath time meltdown the other day. But back to the point, I think because we don't stress too much that Maddy doesn't either. Those times when one (or both) of us are edgy and angry and short, we can see it in Maddy's reactions to everything. When we can't handle it, she can't handle anything.

Right now Maddy's favorite thing in the world (more than even mum and dada) is Og. Nothing makes her squeal in joy and smile more. The next favorite (although I think mum and dada are above this one) is books. Maddy loves to look at books, be read to. Now she grabs them (never upside down) and reads to herself. I can just hear her quiet whispers as she reads aloud whatever story she sees. She also loves "Eh-mo" and trains and "bups" and "ki-ee". She has taken to walking backwards, while distracted, and giving us heart attacks as she nearly falls. She can reach the top of the dining room table, the place where we put most stuff that she shouldn't have, which honestly leaves nothing that is free from her fingertips. OK, the back of the kitchen counters and the centre of the table are still safe. Barely... If I knew then what I know now? I think I would have bought higher bookshelves (that would have been attached to the wall) just so there was SOME place on the main floor free from her grasp.

And how are we doing, you ask? Well, let me tell you! (And, yes, I know that no one has asked but I wanted to tell you anyway, I needed some sort of transition). Neil has now lost about 35-40 pounds since Christmas-ish. And like a man, he lost it by making small changes in his diet. No desserts at lunch, smaller portion sizes, eating home more (and the non-processed meals I make). And, by doing just as much, I have lost about 10 pounds. A far cry from my goal of about 20-ish by now. But we're both stepping up the effort and we're both jogging. Neil goes hard with a cardio trainer app and comes home sweating and manly. I take the dogs and we walk more than jog most of the time.

The first time I went for a jog I put on sweat pants and runners, grabbed the leash and we were off! I started slow, but by the end of the first block my (now) non-smoker lungs were doing great and I was able to keep going to the next block. But while my legs felt good and my lungs felt good and the dogs were still with me, my pelvic floor was not doing as well. I was dribbling with every step. A big dribbling. Even though I wanted to keep jogging, I just couldn't. We still walked for awhile but I came home feeling defeated and ashamed. My body had failed me spectacularly.

I didn't want to go for a jog ever again. I didn't want to feel that sense of humiliation again. I wanted to stay home, feel sorry for myself and sit on the couch. But after much love and support from Neil, I peed until I couldn't pee anymore, put on a good thick pad, replaced my bra with a sports bra and THEN put on the sweats, runners and grabbed the leash. And we went for jog-walk #2. And I am not going to say the pelvic floor was flawless but with the preparation I did really well. And my lungs did well, and my legs did well! In fact, the thing that failed first? The DOGS. My out of shape aging "bups" were lagging behind and being dragged. When I tried to sprint the last block? Yah... no. There was nothing left in their little weak legs. We walked instead.

Very long post later... Everything? It's all happy.


*written Thursday night but I forgot to publish it, so published Friday morning - on my break. I am not wasting taxpayer dollars!