A Little Less Conversation

As you can tell from my silence, things have been busy here. We've been settling in nicely in our new home and getting more familiar with our new neighborhood. 

Keller is now fully immersed in school. He loves his class and his new friends. If you even mention Maryland, he will tell you how he is never going back there. He is 100% California boy now. As I type this, he's at the beach with John. We finally found a martial arts school that suits his needs. He's been going for about 2 weeks and he loves it. He's eligible to test for his next belt this coming weekend, so we'll see if he does in fact test. We're just excited to see him practice karate again. He really loves it. 

The girls are doing so well. I can't believe their over 8 months old now. They're such little characters. Ellen is always ready to smile and laugh, she's always happy. Brenna is also quick with the smile. They just warm our hearts! Brenna started crawling. She's not completely adept at crawling yet, but she's figured out how to do it and can go from one place to the other. Ellen isn't quite there but she's trying so very hard. She gets frustrated easily and I think that's what's keeping her from putting it all together. 

John is also doing well. He is loving his new job. He gets to do actual science and feels excited to go to work in the morning. It's nice to see him excited about work again. He's been biking to work as well. Hopefully as the kids get a little older and less high maintenance, we'll both be able to get back to the level of training we once had.

And I'm holding down the fort :) I launched my new business: Sole Health and Wellness. While I've always had my personal coaching business, I've brought it to California and I'm expanding to include group training programs and corporate wellness programs. I'll be offering group programs, beginning with one in my neighborhood, in the new year. But, in the meantime, you can checkout the website, get the latest health info and company updates by becoming a fan of the Facebook page and following us on Twitter. I continue to coach individuals privately, both in person and from afar, so if you know anyone that would be interested in learning how to run the right way or needs help bringing their running to the next level, tell them to get in touch with me at jenn@solehealthandwellness.com. 

I'm still trying hard to get my running up to where I'd like it to be. Though, it's still not there. My sleep issues continue to thwart my efforts, though I am working on them. I am getting more sleep than I was, but I have a lot of making up to do. The lack of sleep is definitely affecting my running, so I'm just trying to get through as best I can. I have my first race since having the girls this coming weekend: the Las Vegas Half Marathon. I'm excited. But I'm also meeting some friends from back east there, so I'm probably more excited about seeing them. But the race will be good too!

And celebrating our first Thanksgiving here was such fun. We had two families here, so there was a total of 12 people. We had a great time. Lots of good food, lots of great wine (did I mention lots of wine?) and tons of fun. It was the beginning of a wonderful new tradition. 

I'll try not to let another 2 months go by without posting! Oh and "like" Sole Health and Wellness on Facebook!

I Thank You

Yesterday was Thanksgiving. It was a good day. We layed around most of the day and then went to friends' house for a great dinner. It was a good thing I brought my stretchiest maternity pants to change into! Most of my maternity pants are already too tight for my expanding belly, so I was very glad I brought the biggest ones I own!

And while I don't need a single day to sit down and reflect on all that I'm thankful for, I wanted to share with the world what really means the most to me. This year we feel more thankful than ever. We are so hopeful that we'll be bringing home two new babies in a few months. I am almost 22 weeks now and things seem to be going really well. The babies are growing and kicking and all the problems we've been having up to this point seem to be under control. I'm not off bed rest but at least I know things are looking good. I know we won't be out of the woods until they're home with us, but we feel really encouraged and happy that things are looking so good.

We are also thankful, of course, for our sweet son, Keller. He fills us with such joy everyday. We had a nice long conversation about how Spiderman, Superman, Batman and others work so hard to keep people safe from the bad guys. Did you know Spiderman lives at the zoo in order to keep people from fighting the animals? I didn't know that and I'll be sure to look for him the next time we're there.

We are extremely thankful for our friends and family who have been such a source of support for us. They've always been there for us, but this past year wouldn't have been possible for us to deal with if we didn't have such a strong support group. And to everyone who has helped us since I've been on bed rest: you're amazing. The dinners, lunches, visits, calls, emails, etc. have just meant so much to us. Just knowing that people are looking out for my family, it makes me cry. And to know these two babies will not only be welcomed into a home full of love for them, there is a whole system of people that have loved them and helped them long before they were born. It really is too much for me to think about without getting emotional about it.

And I am so incredibly thankful for my husband who has taken this whole bed rest thing on with minimal complaints, grumbles and issues. He is handling all of it and he is just taking it in stride. I am so grateful for him and Keller taking care of me, I can't even put it into words. It's such a long road ahead of us that it's overwhelming for me, but John just does it. I don't know what I would do without him.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Enjoy the time with your friends and family.

Kind and Generous

So yesterday was Thanksgiving. Somehow it was actually possible to be sad and happy at the same time.

I was happy to be spending the day with my wonderful son and husband and very great friends (who are pretty much family). I had a great run in the morning, cooked all afternoon and then ate all night. Not too bad.

I was sad because even with all the love and laughter, I couldn't shake the sadness at what we've lost. I just thought things were going to be so different at this time of year. But life happens when you're making other plans.

I guess there really isn't much else to say. That pretty much sums things up. I'm just trying to keep my head above water and not let the sadness take over. Some days are better than others but for the most part I'm doing all right.

Hope everyone had a great T-giving. Enjoy your leftovers :)

P.S. Today is our dog Lola's birthday. Happy birthday, girl! Hard to believe she's 8 already.

Thank You

Today is Thanksgiving. Happy T-day, everyone!

Last night we pretty much decided we weren't going down to Williamsburg for the holiday. I have been sick all week with a sore throat and high fever and sitting in the car in traffic with a broken foot is the last thing I want to do.

I felt bad and horribly guilty over it, but in the end, it was the right decision. When we woke up this morning there was that familiar crust on Keller's eye-- PINK EYE! We're heading to the doctor first thing in the morning to be sure and get some drops. Fun times in the Gill household, indeed.

I was feeling down and depressed and all that about not being among family, blah blah blah. But really, I'm with the people that matter most to me and that is what I'm truly thankful for. And John went to the store first thing this morning and got the full spread. We'll be eating here the moment Keller gets up from his nap.

And we just discovered a Rocky movie marathon on VS, and really, this holiday just couldn't get any better now. And I just happen to be wearing my "Cut me...Mick" shirt too. It is fate. Eye of the Tiger, baby.

Just wanted to let everyone know that I'm thankful for my wonderful family and friends, past, present, and future. I love you!

By the way, it's our pup, Lola's 7th birthday today too. Happy Birthday, Lo Bo!

I'll Be Back Upon My Feet

Well, not too long after I wrote my blog post yesterday, I began the ultimate adventure.

John and I were getting ready for work in the bathroom and we were discussing Thanksgiving. I was completely distracted as I walking in and out of the bathroom. Well, on my way back in, I slammed my foot into the door. Not just into the door, but it hit between the door jamb and the door itself. My tiny baby toe was pulled so hard by the force that it broke, and I tore a ligament which dislocated the entire toe bone from the joint.

It was horrible! I broke another toe back when I was a kid, so I knew the pain and I knew I had broken my toe again. In fact, I could see the bone in the wrong place. I didn't know it was dislocated, but I knew that wasn't right!

I went to the doctor (the podiatrist) right away. They took X-rays and told me it was broken, I had torn a ligament, and it was dislocated. He had to reset the bone. Now, this really worried me because you see on all the doctor shows how painful it is to reset a bone. It is, but what's the painful part is the numbing. The doctor had to give me two shots of Novocain into my foot. One right below my toe joint and the other in the back of my foot. I screamed out, it was so painful. I made the doctor feel bad, he actually apologized. Once it was numb, he reset the bone. I didn't really feel pain at that point. I have this weird problem with bones. They completely gross me out. I can't have bones touching, like when I sleep on my side, the blanket has to be between my knees. When someone touches a bone, even if it's my elbow, I want to puke. So, I thought I was going to puke all over the place when he was resetting the bone. Thankfully, I didn't.

The doctor then put a plaster splint on my foot and I have to wear one of those gorgeous shoes. It's really sexy. And I can't run for a month. A month! I can't do anything for the next week. Then I get the splint off, and maybe I can swim then. After 2 weeks I can ride the recumbent bike (no weight on the foot). The doctor said because of the dislocation and torn ligament, the toe joint is very unstable and I have to be careful to let it heal correctly.

This would be all fine and good except I A) am a pretty avid runner and B) coach runners for a living. So, last night was the meeting of my 8K group. I followed them in my car. Well, I'd go ahead to show them where to go, then they'd catch up, then I'd go ahead, etc. It actually worked out very well. My runners now have their very own pace car, just like the professionals.

So, that's that. This was just perfect timing with the holidays coming. It was funny, one of my runners said last night that it wasn't all bad: the holidays on pain medication could be a good thing. I haven't gotten my prescription filled yet....

I Want to Break Free

I have not even felt like writing in my blog. Isn't that awful? I am usually never at a loss for words. But things have been hard and the one thing that has been making me the most stressed I won't talk about here. Let's just say I'm REALLY looking forward to the short work week.

So, let's talk about the weekend instead. Friday night, the girls got together over at Mary's. We hadn't all been together in quite some time. It was fun, as always.

Saturday morning started with me coaching my marathon/half marathon group. Because it's a large group, and they all run at different paces, I often ride my bike along side them. Well, that was the plan this Saturday. I started off and my hands and feet were frozen in a matter of minutes. I almost fell off a number of times because I couldn't feel my brakes. While it was a little scary for me at the time, I'm sure I was quite the sight to see me floundering around on my bike. I had my thickest gloves and socks on, so I don't think there was anything more I could do. I had to go back to my car and follow everyone around in my car. It was comical to say the least. I will have to find another solution there.

Later in the day, we went over to Eric and Isa's for an early Thanksgiving. They are traveling down to FL for the holiday, so they wanted to have friends over for an early feast. And what a feast it was. We ate like there was no tomorrow. It was a fun night with all the food, wine & champagne, and card games and Wii. Wii is a very interesting thing. I kind of really want one because it's a lot of fun, but I know that I'd play all the time and nothing would ever get done. You know, like me and Facebook, Twitter, blogging, etc.

Sunday I met with a client in the morning. He's such a nice guy and he's come such a long way in his running. Then the rest of the day was lazy. Well, I shouldn't say lazy, because I spent most of the day doing laundry, folding it and putting it away. And I didn't even finish. But I definitely made a dent.

And now it's Monday. Yahoo. But what's funny is that Keller is starting pee wee soccer tonight. It should be interesting because we were talking about it yesterday and he said he doesn't want to play soccer. So, this should be fun. At least we can get a refund if he doesn't like it! And I have my 8K group tonight and that should be fun. Lately, my groups are the only things I look forward to.