Rough Week

The picture sums it up. Brenden (with Mom) spent two nights in the hospital with respiratory syncytial virus – as I understand, RSV is essentially a bad cold, but to an infant without the ability to clear the air way (blow your nose), it can be rather serious. He came home this afternoon and looks much better than when we took him to the emergency room. I stayed home with Braedon while Brenden and Mom were in the hospital, and that was tough for him. He was very concerned about his little brother. I tried to keep him occupied; we worked in the yard preparing the garden area, and we went on one run (with a flat tire) to the park. Now we will focus on resting and getting everyone healthy again.

Grocery Run

We enjoyed the company of some of our friends this afternoon. They brought over dinner and dessert and we provided the rest of the meal (we really made out on this one). Before they arrived I had to run to the store to purchase some of the rest of the meal. I ran to two stores, brought my own bag to haul the goods, and was in and out as quickly as possible. Total running distance was approximately two and a half miles, and I was gone for a total of forty minutes, which isn’t much more time than had I driven to the stores. Joe Louis was not very happy that he could not go on this run. We had a very enjoyable meal, conversation, and wine from a local vineyard. We also learned that our friends are participating in a community supported agriculture system and will receive produce weekly from May through October at one of the local farms. Sounds like a good idea to me.

Practice with Bernoulli First

Braedon has asked numerous times over the past few days if he can hold his brother, to which I’ll reply, “Practice with Bernoulli first.” Bernoulli is one of our indoor cats, and while he can be quite vicious with other cats, his only defense, once cornered by a person or another non-cat animal, is to curl up and play dead. Thus, Bernoulli is a magnet for three-year-old boys. While I don’t think we’ll allow Braedon to pick up Brenden just yet, Braedon is slowly learning how to be gentler with Bernoulli’s help.
Braedon, Joe, and I did get some nice runs in over the weekend. Braedon even fell asleep on our way to the park and he was most unhappy to wake up on our front porch, realizing that dad didn’t wake him up to play at the park. I did make it up to him, though, by taking him to the playground down the street.

Spring Planning

I intended to run today, but thought better of it, and decided to give my legs a rest. I think they are thanking me now and will be ready to carry me twice as far next time out.

Grandma Karen left our house yesterday. It was nice to have her here for two weeks to help with our adjustment to life with Braedon’s baby brother. I have been impressed with how excited Braedon still is in exclaiming that he is a big brother. I thought the excitement might have worn off by now, but he is very proud and helpful with caring for Brenden.

Braedon and I spent some time this afternoon planning for our garden. We mentally marked out a portion of the yard and thought about which vegetables would be best. Then we cleaned up the yard a bit, something I have neglected for the last month.

The goggles aren’t mandatory, just something Braedon likes to play with when he is allowed in the shed – home of the goggles.

An Early Spring

Punxsutawney Phil may have predicted six more weeks of winter, but a mere one week after Groundhog’s Day feels an awful lot like spring. Last week definitely had a wintry feel, with cold temperatures, snow flurries, and strong winds. Then, all of a sudden, we’ve had temperatures near sixty degrees since Sunday. Braedon, Joe, and I enjoyed a nice run through the park on Sunday afternoon without the usual layers of clothing and hats, mittens, and scarves. To make it feel even more spring-like, the VA grounds, which is adjacent to the park, is hosting a training camp for AmeriCorps, and several groups of young volunteers were enjoying an afternoon in the park. All of this week I have been running in only shorts and a t-shirt, but it looks like hat and mittens weather will be back for the weekend. Brrrrr.

Because So Much Is Riding On Your…Shoes?

I “ran” two errands during our stay in the hospital. The first errand was to Barnes and Noble to buy some books for big brother with gift cards my wife received at a baby shower. The second errand was back to Barnes and Noble to return the books I purchased in exchange for the “correct” books (oops!). While on the second errand I also went to the running store in Bel Air, Charm City Run. Both of the stores I visited are within two miles of the hospital, so, in my opinion, it would have been more of a hassle to drive, plus I would have had to pay a fee each time I exited the hospital’s parking garage.

I don’t go to Charm City Run all too often, mainly because it is sort of out of our way. When I have a reason to be in that part of town, I enjoy visiting Charm City Run because it affords me the opportunity to look over different brands of shoes and gear. Most of my running gear is from Nike, not because I am a loyal Nike costumer, although I have never had any complaints about any of my Nike gear, but because there is a small Nike outlet about two miles from our house. Thus, at times I can purchase Nike shoes that retail for $90 on sale at the outlet for less than $60. Problem is, being a small outlet, finding the shoes that work best for me is sometimes a crapshoot.

Back to Charm City Run; in a span of thirteen minutes and fifty-six seconds, I tried on three pairs of shoes and down-selected to a pair of Saucony Progrid Omin 7s after a quick spin on the treadmill. These are my first pair of Sauconys. After paying at the register, I was on the run back to the hospital. And all the way back, Michelin’s little advertising slogan, “because so much is riding on your tires,” was stuck in my head. In essence, when I run with Braedon, and someday with Brenden, so much is riding on my shoes.

A New Training Partner!

Ok, I'm awake, bring on the world!

It’s been a busy week. A healthy Brenden arrived on Tuesday morning and everything since has been a blur. Braedon is a very proud big brother and even asked his mom if there were any more brothers inside her belly. That was a great quote, but we’ll just stick to one at a time, thank you. We got home from the hospital this afternoon and Joe Louis welcomed Brenden with a big ‘ole lick on the face. The first of many, I’m sure. I did “run” a few errands while we were in the hospital, but I’ll try to catch up a little on sleep before writing about it. Thank you for all of your kind thoughts, comments, and emails!

Hello brother

Braedon and Mom

Grandma Karen, Brenden, and Braedon

Me and Brenden getting acquainted

Getting Close

My wife is pretty much miserable right now. I expect we will have a new baby in the family within the next couple of days. Grandma Karen is at our house awaiting the new arrival. I’ve been doing my best to keep Braedon entertained and out of Mom’s way. Joe and I did get in a nice long run early yesterday morning in the cold. Have a nice week everyone!