Beckett's Bio-12 Month Check Up

We tried to get the 12 month check up taken care of a month ago but Beckett was running a fever so the well visit became a sick visit and everything else was rescheduled for today. By everything else I mean height, weight, head circumference, eye exam, general exam oh yea and 3 shots :(! I'm lucky, since Alfred's weekday schedule is a little more flexible than mine he's the one that gets to deal with most of the doc visits and today was no exception! Of course I expect a full report the moment they leave :)!

The vitals:

Head Circumference: 18.41 53.79%
Weight 21 lbs 21.47%
Height 29 3/4 in 35.12%

Beckett wouldn't sit still long enough for them to get a picture of his eyes for the eye exam, he was too interested in the machine that was taking the pictures. They were going to keep trying but since we already have a great pediatric eye doctor due to Kingston's astigmatism and he is due for a check up in June Alfred decided we would just take Beckett for his first eye exam then too!
Alfred explained to Kingston on the way to the doctor that Bubba was going to be getting shots and Kingston would have to be strong so Bubba wouldn't get scared. When the nurse came in to give Beckett shots Kingston kept saying "Bubba you are doing so good, you are being so brave" and encouraging him. Beckett of course cried a little when she gave him the shots but Alfred said for the most part he did great!
As for everything else Dr. Collins said he's right on target. He's still not walking but apparently that's not a big deal. He says a few things! His newest thing is to say "Bye Bye" and wave very dramatically! He loves to give kisses! He can get from room to room very quickly and can climb stairs like a pro! He puts everything in his mouth including dog bones and mulch!!
Beckett sees the pediatric urologist that did his surgery next week. We are hoping to get some definite answers as to weather or not he will be having surgery again. I hope every thing isfine just taking it's sweet old time but to be honest I'm a little skeptical so keep us in your prayers next week! I hated him going through surgery the first time and I know if he has to have it again I will once again be a basket case!
All in all we have an awesome little dude that is growing up faster than we are ready for but it's amazing watching him turn into a toddler!!

Country Music Half Marathon Recap

This update is almost a month old but hey better late than never huh!!

The Country Music Half Marathon was my first Half and it was a blast!! The fun started the night before when my sister, her husband and 3 of their friends drove down from Ohio to spend the weekend with us and run the race. Throw in 2 3 year olds, a one year old and my mom to babysit us all and what you have is a house full of awesome!! Friday night Alfred made us a huge pot of spaghetti and salad so we would be properly fueled the next day. We sat around ate, laughed, talked strategy and attempted to turn in as early as possible. Of course I'd been sick with sinus issues and Beckett had croup so he was coughing nonstop which kept some of us awake. Somehow we still managed to get up at 4:30AM, shovel in some peanut butter and honey sandwiches and we were ready to go when our ride got there at 5:15! (FYI if you ever run the CMM beg or pay someone to drop you off, don't park it's packed!!)

The All Guts, Not Nuts/Nuts crew ready to get this started! (From Left: My hubs Alfred, me, Mel, my sister Amanda, Ashley, Damien, and my brother in law Scott)

This race is HUGE - Approx. 35000 people ran it this year. The race directors did an awesome job pacing people so it didn't seem too large! Everyone in our group but Alfred and I were assigned to Coral 4 (AKA the speedy people) Alfred and I were assigned to Coral 22 which meant after the initial gun went off we had about a 40 minute wait before we started which gave us time to people watch and really take in the enormity of this race. Finally it was our turn to begin. I couldn't believe all the training had led to this moment.

This course is notorious for it's bands and fans so I chose to go musicless. For the most part this was a great idea. It is also a very hilly course! Just when you've tackled one HUGE hill another one is there to smack you in the face. I don't mind hills, I think they keep it interesting but this was a bit too much. Next time I know to do better with my hill training!

Since this was mine and Alfred's first half marathon, and I love him more than life we decided to run it together, rather than separating and seeing what we could do. His knee had been giving him a lot of trouble so I was worried about him but somehow he managed to hang in there. The first 4 or 5 miles weren't bad at all, I was still on the adrenaline high from actually starting the race. It was about mile 6 when I really started to rely on the spectators. They were awesome. There were so many wonderful signs (Your running while I'm having mimosas-IF Donald Trump can run so can you etc.) and there were so many awesome people. As we ran through neighborhoods people were spraying us with water hoses which was so needed. I was having such a good time I almost forgot I was running a half...almost. Then around mile 8 I started to hit a wall, I ate a salt pack, ate some more gu chomps drank some Gatorade and started running into other friends running the marathon, we chit chatted and ran and got through it. At about mile 10 we headed in the gulch. This is right before the half marathon and marathon split. I did a body check and knew I could finish the half but knew I would be crying if I still has 15 miles to go on the marathon. The Gulch was fun, there were bands and beer and people cheering. I knew I was getting ready to go into some pretty major hills but I must have turned on auto pilot and just went for it because I don't really remember much until mile 12. I wanted to finish in under 2:30 and at this point I knew I wasn't going to do it but I still had a chance to finish in 2:45 if I booked it. I looked at Alfred and he said "I can't go any faster, I'm hurting all over" to which I replied "If I don't pick up the pace now I'll never get in under 2:45" and I took off.

I almost cried when I had half a mile left. I was tired but I knew I was about to accomplish something I had been thinking about for 2 years. I had trained so long for this moment and I was about to accomplish my goal. I don't know what I expected when I crossed under the finish line at 2:45:01, I guess I thought I would feel like screaming from the rooftops but I didn't. I felt calm and empowered. This was my moment to reflect on all the hard work I had put into this, the hours I had scarified, think about the people who pushed me and made this possible. It was so surreal. Then I realized I was starving and I better find my husband and our friends. Turns out Alfred was right behind me. He said pain or no pain he couldn't let me get too far ahead! We are very competitive with one another :)! We went got food, found our friends talked for awhile then went home to rest and devour wings! It was an awesome experience!!

Some of my favorite things were our shirts made by my sister. People kept telling us how much they loved them which only fueled us to do better!

The fact that I got to share my beautiful city with such awesome people!! I'm so proud that Nashville is my home and what better way to show it off then to run through it!

The fact that I got to run with this guy!! It's amazing when you find someone in life that will go on so many crazy adventures with you!

I felt good about a lot of things during this race. Three days before the race I started drinking water like it was my job so I would be hydrated and because I was sick with a sinus infection. During the race my fuel was spot on, which had been my biggest issue during training. I woke up and ate a bagel with peanut butter and honey and a banana. I filled my fuel belt with gatorade, gu, gu chomps, sweet tarts and salt packets. They were also handing out salt along the course which I took every chance I got. I'm glad I didn't run with music so I could really take it all in. I paced pretty well although I think there were times I could have went faster but I'm probably glad I didn't because of the hills in the last 2 miles.

There were some things I would have done differently. The biggest thing was to have cut my toenails the day before :). They weren't bad but they were just long enough that I ended up bruising my toe under my toe nail and really started to feel it around mile 6! I wore Swiftwick socks and I love them but I had a seam that rubbed a blister on my foot. I used 2Toms blister shield but even it couldn't combat 13.1 miles of seam rubbage!! The blister did go away fairly quickly though. I would try to get more sleep the night before. I would like to run a 1/2 when I'm not sick with sinus funk but that's pretty unpredictable.

As for my training I used a very basic plan that my friend Dean put together for me, it was very effective and the mileage was spot on. I felt really ready for this and was super happy with the results. I went into wanting to get under 2:30 but really just wanting to finish and still love running! I can't wait to do another one!

Team All Guts No Nuts/Nuts Half Marathon Times

Amanda Davis 1:53:14 (PR by 3 Seconds)

Scott Davis 2:01:47

Mel Smith 2:03:26

Ashley Southard 2:03:36

Damien Southard 2:03:37

Rachel Eller 2:45:01

Alfred Eller 2:45:03

And even though she didn't run wearing one of our shits because her entry fee was paid for by her company I have to give a huge thank you to Susan Bakaitis who dragged me through many hours of running. I wouldn't have trained as well as I did without her pushing me with our e-mail updates and hours spent talking and running or as I like to call it our alternative happy hours!! She set a goal to finish under 2:30 and she did just that with a 2:29:51 finish!! I am one proud running partner and friend!!

Beckett John You are 1!

Again I'm a little behind on the birthday post and you've been 1 for a few weeks now. I was trying to wait until you went for your 1 year appointment but that is taking forever and I can't wait to tell the world how wonderful my little boy is so here we go! I can't believe how fast a year has flown by. You are so amazing. I was terrified when I was pregnant with you because we had it so easy with your brother, I knew you were going to be the baby that cried all the time, wouldn't sleep and would be a picky eater but you are none of these things. You are a parents dream. You always sleep through the night even when you're sick or teething. You adjust to things as if they don't bother you at all. Your teachers at daycare said you transitioned quicker than any toddler they've had. You had no problem going from your crib to the cot and you eat your meals at the little table like you've always been doing it (sometimes it's a bit messy but you love to eat). You cry some mornings when mommy drops you off but you are over it by the time I drop your brother off and walk back by the door. I took your bottle at 11 months and you did pretty good from day 1. Mommy only gave in once when you kept throwing the sippy cup back at me and screaming at me but after that you took to the sippy no problem and haven't looked back. You are still a thumb sucker but you only do it when you are sleepy! I think it's cute but I know from trying to break your brother of the habit we have a long road ahead of us but I'm not too worried, we will get through it.
You aren't walking on your own yet but you cruise from thing to thing and you love to walk around if someones holding your fingers. You love to slam small doors (ie. the entertainment center, kitchen cabinets etc.) If we can't find you we just wait a second and we will hear where you are. You have gotten very good at crawling upstairs, especially when your brother is up there playing and you want to be up there. You love your dog Laney and you follow her from room to room and laugh anytime she pays attention to you. You still adore your brother and the two of you are starting to play together and I love it. You two sit at the dinner table cracking each other up, then of course mommy and daddy start cracking up and before you know it we are having the best time. You will eat just about anything. I haven't found anything yet that you hate. Your favorites are any kind of bread, pasta, apple sauce, yogurt, bananas and just about any kind of fruit we put in front of you.
You say a few things like mama, dada, bubba, Laney and you repeat a ton of sounds. We are trying to get you to use signs but you don't seem very interested. I think you've figured out that even if you don't sign we are going to give you whatever you want.
You have 6 teeth and 2 more are currently coming in. You have to have your teeth brushed and you get so excited when you see the tooth brush. In that respect I guess you are your mommies kid.
Everyone comments all the time on how handsome you are and how beautiful your eyes are. They are still blue but they have a green tint to them and since daddy and MiMi both have green eyes yours might just end up green.
You are pretty stubborn. You always want to sit in the front of the bath tub and if Kingston is sitting there you crawl over him and knock him out of the way. If you want to eat you crawl to your high chair and grunt loudly until someone gets you food. Mommy sings you a song she made up and if I'm singing it and I stop you look at me and grab my mouth until I start again. You are very good at letting us know what you want and making sure it gets done when you want it to get done.
We celebrated your first birthday at Pie in The Sky Pizza and you loved it. So many great friends came out to help you celebrate. You ate pizza and cake and then fell asleep in Mimi's lap. It was so so cute!
I could go on and on about you Bex because your dad I love you so so much!! I know this next year is going to fly by and you are going to do so many new and interesting things and although I am super excited to watch all these things take shape I'm also super sad that my little baby is growing up. We are so truly blessed that you are in our lives Beckett! Your giggles melt our hearts and your smile lights up our house! You are a one of a kind amazing child and I'm glad I get to call you my son!!