I try to be really selective about what I share with you.  But even among the things I do share, I end up having favorites.  Sometimes I make things and think – that was good, I’ll definitely post it.  And other times I make something and feel like I’m running to the keyboard proclaiming that everyone must make this noooow.  Like the blackened tofu – we are still making that 2-3 times each week!

This recipe ended up surprising me.  I’m not sure why, since it has many of my favorite things.  But it’s good.  Like really, really good.

While a lot of people talk about having a sweet tooth, for me it’s all about salt.  Although who am I kidding?  I love sweets too.  But I have to make a conscious effort not to over-salt things or else Casey threatens to hide my salt cellar.  Olives are one of my favorite salty indulgences, and I was surprised by how well they pair here with earthy beets and sweet citrus. 

This year there is no question – I am most definitely a mom.  Casey asked me if I wanted to spend the day being pampered with pedicures and massages, but all I really wanted was a day outside in the sunshine with my family.  And so we did exactly that.

We started our day off nice and early at Magnuson Park for the Run Like A Mother 5k!  A friend of mine had gifted me an extra entry, so I figured it was a great chance to get another race in as part of my half-marathon training. 

We got there a bit early so we hung out and gave Cullen another round on the baby swings. 

It was a great spot to have a family race – so many kids climbing and swinging all over the playground!

And then just before 9, I left Cullen and Casey and headed to the starting line.  One of my mom friends – Katie – ran the race with me, so we lined up and got ready for the race to start!

I didn’t really have a plan or a goal for the race, since I’m really just now starting to get back into running and speed work.  My hope was to break 30 minutes, which seemed realistic.  Katie and I started out in the middle of the pack, but quickly realized it was a narrow course and there were a lot of walkers.  We darted in and out and ended up running in the grass for a bit to make our way up to a pace that felt more comfortable.

My goal was to run around a 9:00 mile for the first mile or two, and then go all out from there.  It was so nice running with a friend!  Katie and I ran side by side and chatted about running, baby food, Seattle, and more.  It was a strange course – much more like trail running than I had expected.  Over half of the course was on gravel, and parts were even on grass.  At one point we had to run across wood boards over a big muddy pond!  So considering the terrain, I was pretty happy to be keeping up a good pace.

Right around the 2-mile marker, I decided I was going to go all out and give it everything I had.  I tried to ignore my watch and just focus on my stride and my breath.  I rounded the corner and was shocked to see that my time was much faster than expected.  I ended up finishing in 26:04 – an 8:22 average page!  I know my first miles were closer to the 9:00 range, so that last mile must have been speedy!

I was on cloud nine afterward.  It felt so good to have a redeeming run after struggling so much during the half marathon.  And I am so thrilled to have a running and racing buddy here in Seattle!

It’s so nice to have a friend pushing a stroller next to you, who understands the logistics of running with a baby.  And it was fun to come around the corner and see our husbands cheering!

After the race, Casey and I headed to brunch at Sunlight Café – a cute little vegetarian spot in Seattle’s Roosevelt neighborhood.  We started with fancy goblets of kombucha…

I got the Huevos Picante – a whole wheat breakfast burrito with scrambled eggs and salsa, baked with enchilada sauce and served with black beans, home fries, and guacamole.  YUM!

Casey got the Sunlight Vegettable Tofu Scramble – mixed vegetables & organic tofu in a garlic-ginger sauce, served with home fries & half 7-grain organic english muffin, with a lemon-tahini sauce on the side. 

Back at home we all took long naps – Cullen in his crib, Casey on the couch, and me in a lounge chair in the backyard.  All our favorite spots!

We wrapped up our day at Juanita Beach Park, where we went for a 4 mile walk exploring some of the surrounding areas and trails along the waterfront.

We used the maps on our phones to navigate down a steep hill toward another little hidden waterfront spot – Kiwanis Park.  Good thing we have an all-terrain stroller – it was steep and all gravel!

But once we got down there it felt like a little hidden paradise.  Hidden beaches with Lake Washington splashing right onto the shore. 

Absolutely gorgeous.

It was exactly what I had hoped for – a gorgeous day in the city that I love so much, with the family that I couldn’t possible love more.  While I know Mother’s Day is supposed to be a celebration and day of thanks for moms,  I spent most of my day thinking about how grateful and thankful I feel to have this privilege. 

While I certainly don’t need a special day to make me feel like I’m doing a good job, it is nice to know that all the dirty diapers, midnight feedings, and hard work I put into this role are appreciated.  Many thanks to my two favorite boys for giving me such a wonderful day!

I’ve been reading and mapping, trying to figure out some spots we might like near our new house.  This past Friday was the opening night of the Juanita Friday Market, and so it was our first trip to Juanita Beach!

Casey was able to take the bus directly to the beach from work, so Cullen and I packed up and met him there.  He surprised me by showing up with Mother’s Day flowers!  What a sweet way to kick off a great weekend (pictured below once I got them home!).

The beach and park area has a really cool walkway that extends out into Lake Washington over the water.

The beach had lots of families and kids – swimming, digging in the sand, and sleeping on blankets.  Such a great spot for a sunny day!

I imagine Cullen and I will be taking lots of walks here this summer.  We will wave to downtown Seattle in the distance!

The park also has a huge playground, and we decided to give Cullen his first ride in the baby swings!

He wasn’t so sure at first, so we started off slow. 

But within minutes he was cracking up and loving it. 

I know I say it all the time, but he really does just keep getting more and more fun.  For so long I had looked forward to him being able to enjoy things like this, and now that it’s finally happening, it’s even better than I could have imagined. 

Once the swings were old news, we checked out the market.  It was small, but I have a feeling it will get bigger later in the summer.  A good mix of crafts, food, produce, and other artists.

Casey and I were both already hungry for dinner, and we were excited when we saw this giant pile of veggies grilling…

Patty Pan Grill had good veggie options, as well as cute healthy messages geared toward kids – loved it!

Vegan bean tamales with grilled vegetables.  Out of this world.  Already looking forward to next Friday so I can eat this again!

A great way to start our first weekend in our new ‘hood.  It’s fun to have all the places we already know and love in Seattle, as well as new parks and spaces to find in Kirkland.  Back soon with our Mother’s Day fun!

This simple rice bowl combines a few of my favorite things – kale, lentils, and coconut.  I know coconut is one of those love it or hate it types of flavors.  I personally can’t get enough.  It tastes like summer!

We spent Saturday afternoon at the Flying Pig expo, and then fueling and getting ready for race #2.  Casey and I have each run the Flying Pig Marathon three times (in 2008, 2009, and 2010), but this was my first time ever watching it!  My family and best friend have always cheered when we were running, so I took their advice on the best spectating spots.

We started in Hyde Park – where I grew up, and where my mom still lives today.  Cullen was excited to cheer on his dad!

He was not quite as excited about the band that set up right next to us…

We set up camp right around the 11.5 mile marker, and right as we got there the runners started to come through.  I don’t know if I get more nervous running races or watching races, but my adrenaline was out of control.  Just as it had been the day before for my race, it was already HOT out, and I was worried about Casey running in the heat.

His original goal was to run somewhere between 3:15 and 3:20 (his PR is 3:11), and I was thrilled when I saw him headed toward us right behind the 3:15 pace group.

He looked very sweaty and hot, but he also looked strong, so I was surprised when he ran straight toward me and said, “I’m done.”  He said he was really struggling in the heat, and he wasn’t going to finish.  He had made up his mind, and he was okay with it. 

He’s my husband, and obviously I know him well.  I know that even though he claimed to be okay with quitting, he was going to struggle with that decision once he cooled down.  I gave him some space and some water, and let him rest for a few minutes while we continued to cheer for the runners.

I had a few other friends running, so I kept my eye out for them as the runners continued to pass.  The next thing I knew, Casey was back next to me pinning his bib number back on.  He said he couldn’t bear to stand there and watch other people finish the race.  He lost about 25 minute of running time, but by then his finish time had become irrelevant.  It was about finishing what he started.

He headed back out onto the course right after the 3:40 pace group, and we all packed up and headed to the next cheering spot.  At this point I was really nervous about him.  The heat continued to rise, and I knew that he was headed to a portion of the course with little shade and several hills.  He would have to make it from mile 11 to mile 18 before he would get the chance to stop again.  We watched the runners come through in Mariemont.

Knowing Casey, I knew that if he could make it to mile 18 there was very little chance he would quit at that point.  I took Cullen out of the stroller and got him ready to give his dad and extra boot of motivation.

We waited and waited with no text message updates – I was worried that I had no update from the half-marathon point.  But then right around the 3:45 pacers, I saw his familiar stride.

I held Cullen up as high as I could, and Casey smiled and ran right toward him.

He still seemed tired and very hot, but in much better spirits this time.  He gave Cullen a big sweaty kiss.  His legs were cramping badly, and he told us it was going to take a long time to finish.  I assured him we had nowhere else to be. 

And with his family cheering loud and proud, he headed back out to finish what he started.  We headed to mile 21, and cheered for him once again.  Despite how I know he felt, he looked strong.

Since I knew he was going to be slowing down and we had plenty of time to get to the finish, we decided to hang out a little longer at mile 21, in order to cheer for a few other friends we had running the race.  I jumped and screamed for Meghann when I saw her zoom by right on pace!

And not far behind – her sister, Kelly!  They traveled all the way from Florida to run, so they didn’t have any family in town cheering or supporting them.  Hopefully my family helped fill that role – we all yelled and screamed as loud as we could!

We finally made our way down to the finish line to try to find Casey.  After wandering aimlessly for what felt like forever, we finally found him relaxing in the grass after a long, hard run.  It was his worst marathon ever (okay other than the one he ran with me) – a finish time of 4:02.

More than anything, I was most proud of him for finding a way to just be okay with finishing a bad race.  He tends to put a lot of pressure on himself, and I know he was really disappointed in his run.  But he found a way to be happy that he finished, and to see it as a training run to get ready for his next marathon in June.   

I think we learned a lot this weekend about what we need to do to be successful with running going forward.  The heat really hurt us both, as we’re used to the cool climate of the Pacific Northwest.  We also went into our races sleep deprived from a red-eye flight, and with even less sleep from changing time zones.  While my training was subpar, Casey actually trained really well for this race, so there were definitely some outside factors working against him.  Going forward, we’ll plan better for races we want to take seriously!

We both feel really motivated now with a few (bad) races under our belt.  Sometimes it takes a bit of a reality check and a long afternoon on the pavement to really light the fire to get going again.  We’re excited to train hard and support each other as we get ready for Rock N Roll Seattle at the end of June. 

Another year, another Flying Pig.  While I’ve pretty much decided to count marathons out until I’m done having kids, I’d be lying if I told you it was an easy race to watch (and not run).  We’ll see what the next year brings, but I’d love to be lining up at the starting line in 2013.  Until then, we both have some work to do.

It had been so long since I had raced, and along with the out of town travel, I was feeling really unprepared and incredibly anxious going into Saturday morning.  When my alarm went off at 5:30, I immediately told Casey I didn’t want to do it.  He suggested I get up and at least think about it in the shower.

So I showered.  Then I got dressed.  Then I ate some sort of peanut butter bagel that Casey handed me.  In order to make it downtown in time, our plan was to leave Casey’s parents house no later than 6:15am.  At 6:15, I was still staring into the baby monitor – it just felt so wrong to wake Cullen up, especially after we had traveled all night the night before.  It didn’t seem important enough – my baby needed a good night of sleep (it was only 3:15am pacific time!). 

I told Casey I couldn’t bear to wake him up, and I was going to sit this one out and do my best to train well for the next race.  And literally within ten seconds, Cullen started stirring on the monitor – he was up.  I know it sounds super cheesy, but I took it as a sign.  I was laying out every excuse I could think of not to run, and they were all backfiring. 

So we packed Cullen up and headed down to the start 30 minutes later than we had initially planned.  Casey ended up finding a great spot near the starting line, and pulled over so I could feed Cullen in the car.  One of the trickiest things about this being my first postpartum race was figuring out the whole breastfeeding piece.  Cullen is still not a bottle fan, and I knew it would likely take me close to three hours to finish the race.  I had to feed him as close to the start and finish times as possible.

Once his belly was full, I jumped out of the car and headed to the start.  Even at 7:30 in the morning, I was already feeling the heat (a high of 82 for the day!), and I knew it was going to be a challenge for me.  I was undertrained to begin with, but the training I did do was in cool dry 50 degree Seattle temps.  Indy was hot, humid, and very sticky. 

Once the starting gun went off, I started jogging and immediately felt cramping in my sides.  One of my biggest worries for this race (other than Cullen getting hungry) was getting dehydrated.  My plan for the race was to drink at every water and Gatorade stop, and to start slow so that hopefully I could run as long as possible.   

• Mile 1: 9:50
• Mile 2: 10:09

Within just a few minutes of starting, I was already drenched in sweat.  I’m certainly not looking for excuses, since I went into this race totally unprepared, but the heat did me no favors on Saturday.  Seattle is cool and dry, and Indianapolis was hot and humid.  My body hasn’t felt conditions like that in over a year.

• Mile 3: 10:01
• Mile 4: 10:27

I knew Casey, his mom, and Cullen would be waiting for me around the 5.5 mark, and I made it my goal just to make it to him.  I felt so overheated and tired already, and I knew there was no way I could maintain running for the rest of the race.  I focused on getting to my family.  I saw a man holding a sign that said “No one made you do this.”  It became my mantra for the rest of the race.

• Mile 5: 9:52

From pretty far back, I spotted Casey and Tina up ahead, and I saw my precious baby boy being snuggled on the sidelines.  I ran up and gave him a huge kiss!

I stopped and ate a few shot blocks, and told Casey I couldn’t finish the race.  I didn’t quite feel ready to quit just yet, but I knew 13 wasn’t in the cards for me.  I was just about to enter the Indianapolis Motor Speedway at that point – a 2.5 mile loop around the racetrack.  He had planned to originally go to mile 11 from there, but I asked him to go to the other side of the track, so that I could be finished after I had run the loop.  Mentally, I was finished, but I wanted to at least run the racetrack.  I gave Cullen a kiss and kept going.

• Mile 6: 12:15

The minute I got inside the track, I wanted to be done.  I wished I had just quit when I saw Casey and longed to already be in the car driving home.  I was so hot, and no matter how many cups of water I dumped over my head, I couldn’t get myself cooled down and motivated to run again.  Knowing I was going to quit on the other side, I slowed to a walk and decided to take my time and not push myself anymore.

• Mile 7: 12:37
• Mile 8: 14:21

I had my phone with me so that Casey and I could get in touch if needed.  Since I had resigned myself to not finishing, I pulled it out and snapped a few pictures, so that Casey could see the racetrack portion of the course. 

I knew my sister and friends were worried and wondering if I was running, so I tweeted that I was going to quit at mile nine.  There was no shade on the course, and the heat was killing me.  I was worried about being dehydrated, but I felt sick from drinking so much water.  I wondered if Cullen was hungry.

We have gone to the Indy 500 several times over the past few years, and I got a surge of emotion and nostalgia as I entered the turn where we used to always watch the race.

Even though my run was terrible, it felt good to think about how much I’ve changed and grown since the last time I was at the speedway (many many beers deep!). 

I felt my phone vibrate on my hip around the 8 mile marker.  I pulled it out to see that Casey was calling me.  The road closures made it impossible for him to get to the other side of the track, so my options were to either finish the race, or walk the course backwards to meet him.  The thought of walking backwards felt totally humiliating, but the thought of finishing also sounded so painful.

• Mile 9: 12:38

But just like all my other excuses running out, my plan to quit wasn’t working.  I dug deep and told myself this was happening for a reason, and I searched hard for a second wind to keep going.  I told Casey I would see him at the finish line.  I started running again.  No one made you do this.

• Mile 10: 10:43

A few people had warned me that running on the track could be painful because of the incline of the road.  Right around mile 10 I got a sharp, stabbing pain in my left hip.  I think running on a slanted course had set me off balance for a few miles, and it left me really sore on my left side.  I slowed back down to a walk/run.

• Mile 11: 12:21
• Mile 12: 13:39

By the time I was into double digits, I still felt completely overheated and drained, but I knew I was going to finish no matter what.  I didn’t care about my time, and I didn’t care that I was walking.  I felt proud that I had overcome a lot of race anxiety, and that I got myself back to the starting line after a two year break. 

I promised myself that once I passed the 12-mile marker, I wouldn’t walk again.  I tossed a few final cups of water over my head, and started running for the last time.  The last mile was awesome – checkered flags waving, gorgeous trees lining the street, and so many cheers and smiling faces encouraging us to finish strong.

• Mile 13: 9:50
• 0.1: 2:06

No one made me do it, but I did it anyway.

I crossed the finish line in 2 hours and 30 minutes, about half an hour behind my personal best from 2010.  But in that moment, my time felt so irrelevant.  I was proud to be a running and racing mom.  I rushed through the finishers’ corral to find my family.

Even though I tried to quit several times, I had finished.  I know Cullen has no idea what I did on Saturday, but it mattered to me that he didn’t see me give up.  I want him to grow up cheering us on and feeling proud of his parents’ accomplishments.  I scooped him up and fed him right away.  I was a successful racing, breastfeeding mom, and I was proud.

I’m not a superstar runner. I am not fast, and many many people finished in front of me. I know plenty of other moms who had babies after me, who are already running faster times, longer distances, and even winning their age groups.  I am just another new mom, trying to figure out how to manage my new life balance, one day and one run at a time.

Even though I had a tough race, I went to bed Saturday with a renewed love for my old sport, and the motivation to work hard and see what I can do as I continue to run in the future.  Despite how much the heat hurt me, I felt pretty good about how my body felt physically during the run.  I think under the right conditions, and with the proper training, I can be back to setting and meeting goals again soon.

One of my big takeaways from this weekend is that I have really missed being part of the running and racing community.  It used to be a huge part of my life, and I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed it until I got it back.

I have seven weeks to get ready for the Seattle Rock N Roll Half Marathon, and I hope that with better training and milder weather, I’ll feel confident to head back to the starting line.  In the meantime, I’m also excited to sign up for shorter distances like 5K’s and 10K’s, and be part of the Seattle racing scene this summer.  My body and my schedule have changed quite a bit, but my cheering squad has changed now too. 

I tried to quit this race several times, but in the end I finished.  Looking forward to my next trip to the starting line…

Headed to Cincinnati now to watch Casey get ready to run 26.2!  More to come!  Thanks for all the virtual cheers – I felt them today.  :)

Now just days before the race, I think six months is definitely plenty of time to build up that level of fitness if you have a dedicated training plan and stick to it.

I made the training plan.  I didn’t do it.

Postpartum running has been sort of a rollercoaster for me.  When I was pregnant, I had all these high hopes and big ideas about what it would be like to bounce back into running shape.

I thought I’d be out there with the jogging stroller, gliding along and pushing myself just like I used to.  My recovery from childbirth took longer than expected, but more than that, I found it really hard to get my mental shape back in focus to run.

Even though I love running, I find now that my motivations have changed.  There are only so many free hours in the day, and when I have to prioritize and choose how to spend them, I often find myself choosing family time over solo runs.  Of course that is a choice that I made, and I’m okay with that. 

Even more so, I’ve found it really hard to re-learn how to push myself.  For over a year, between recovering from my car accident, and then exercising through my pregnancy, my instincts were to dial back and take it easy.  In that time, I’ve forgotten how to work through pain and really push myself to the next level. 

Now six months postpartum, I think I’m slowly finding my way back to a point where I’m ready to start challenging myself again.  I don’t know that I’ll ever have the same relationship with running that I had before, and that’s okay.  Now I have to share running with so many more parts of my life.  But when I do actually hit the pavement and get those runs in, they feel that much more special. 

When I first sat down to write this post (two days ago), my intention was to tell you that I’m not running the half-marathon this weekend.  I didn’t properly train for it – my longest run was seven miles.  And after mastitis last weekend and a lot of stomach trouble this week, I don’t feel very confident or prepared heading to the starting line.

We packed our bags last night, and I left my running shoes at home.  And then just before our car pulled out of the driveway, I ran back in and grabbed my things.  Just in case.  We flew overnight last night from Seattle to Indianapolis.  Cullen was really the only one that got much sleep!

But now that we’re here, I’m feeling the itch to run.  I know I’m not physically prepared, and that it will be very challenging.  But I’ve run a lot of races before, and a small (foolish?) part of me thinks my body will remember how to do this like it used to.  We headed to the expo this afternoon to pick up my bib number!

Casey is going to be out there cheering, and plans to meet me around the halfway point.  I am motivated, but I’m not stupid.  If I am feeling bad at the halfway point, I’ll probably drop out.  If I feel strong and confident, I’ll keep going.  At this point it’s a game day decision. 

I don’t know what tomorrow will bring, but if nothing else, it has at least given me the motivation to train well for my next race in June.  Wish me luck!

My first day in my new kitchen!  I’ll try to give a more formal tour of the kitchen space once we’re settled.  It is big and gorgeous!

Once the movers were finished, we got to work putting things back together…

We started unpacking pretty much right away!  My mom unpacked the entire kitchen onto the countertops, while I tried to organize and figure out how to set things up.  I absolutely love organizing, but I take forever to figure out how I want spaces to flow and function.  I must have rearranged the cabinets five times, and I’m still not sure I’m done!

The next day, we woke up and got to work right away.  We ran a lot of house-related errands, went back to our old place and scrubbed it for hoouuurs and hours, and then headed out to the dog ranch to pick up the rest of our family.

The pups were definitely weirded out by the new space, and probably confused to see all our things in it, but they settled in pretty quickly.  One of the most fun parts of this move is that we can finally use our giant living room couch again!  (It didn’t fit up the stairs during our last move, and has lived wrapped in plastic in our garage for the past year!)

At some point during the weekend, I got really ambitious and decided I wanted to do some painting before we actually got settled (figuring it would be easier without furniture in place).  And then after hours of exhausting work later, I realized that painting was probably going to have to wait.

We have moved many times, but this one was so different now because of Cullen.  During past transitions I’ve always pulled long days, worked late into the night, and had our place unpacked and settled within just a few days.  This time, I’ve had to just admit that I can only do so much, and I’m trying to just take it one project and box at a time.  It will all happen eventually.

Speaking of Cullen, he loves the new house!

We have a lot more space here and room for him to crawl and roam, and he’s taking full advantage and exploring every inch that he can get to. 

And also performing new tricks (he’s sitting up now!).

Casey headed back to work on Monday, and mom and I continued to tackle the boxes.  While Cullen napped, we did the bedroom closets.  It took us almost the entire day to get the master bedroom set up!

And in between naps, Cullen got to play with Grandma.  No matter how often we try to visit, it just never feels like it can be enough.  I wish they could play together every day!

The other babies are adjusting too.  They love their new yard, and I think they will love the space once it’s settled.  For now I think they are still a bit wary of the mess and the boxes.

My mom took the red-eye home Monday night, and I did my best to keep from crying the whole way home from the airport.  When I lived in Cincinnati, she was just blocks away and we saw each other almost every day.  Our whole family is close, but the two of us went through some really tough times together, and it left us with a really special bond.  I love her so much!

And now it is just us three, settling in and trying to feel out our new digs.  We still need to do a lot more unpacking, but so far it feels great!

A few people asked me about our moving boxes in my last post, so I thought it was worth mentioning since I think it’s a great concept.  Rather than using cardboard moving boxes, we actually rented reusable boxes from a company here in Seattle called KarmaBoxx. 

When we moved to Seattle we had a million cardboard boxes, and it took us about 20 trips to the recycling center to get rid of all of them.  It felt like such a huge waste!  I was thrilled when I found Karmaboxx – renting and reusing boxes is such a great eco-friendly way to move.  They drop them off and pick them up, and you choose how many and how long you want them.  It was very affordable, and I’d definitely use them again!

Even though this should be our first weekend in the new place, we’re actually getting on a plane tomorrow to head back to the Midwest for a racing weekend!  Updates on that tomorrow…

Unfortunately, things went pretty far downhill from there.  Thursday was one of the worst days I can remember in quite some time.  You know sucks worse than feeling like you have the flu?  Feeling like you have the flu and nursing/taking care of a baby. 

On any other day, Casey would have stayed home to watch Cullen so that I could crawl into bed.  But my sickness happened to land on the day he was taking a 9-hour exam (for work) that they only offer twice a year.  Double yikes.  So as I continued to feel worse and worse, I knew I wouldn’t be able to get ahold of him. 

I pretty much spent the day laying on the floor or couch and throwing toys at Cullen while he played.

When he napped, I napped.  When he was awake, I counted down to the next nap.  I knew it was mastitis again – my whole body ached and it hurt to even carry Cullen against my chest.  I fluctuated between being freezing cold and drenching my clothes in sweat.  By the time I finally tracked down a thermometer and took my temperature, it was close to 103.  A call to my midwives got me immediate antibiotics, and Casey rushed to go get them the minute his exam let out. 

When we started planning our move a few months ago, my mom offered to fly out to help with Cullen so that Casey and I could focus on packing and moving.  Her flight got in late Thursday night, and I have never been so happy to see her.  We needed her help even when I was at 100%, but with me feeling terrible, we needed her more than ever.  Cullen was pretty happy to have here here too. 

Unfortunately, all week I had procrastinated packing because I found it hard to do while watching Cullen.  Instead, I had told myself that I would do it in the last few days once my mom arrived.  But me being sick sort of derailed those plans, and we started out Friday morning with all our boxes pretty much empty.

My mom was completely amazing, and somehow managed to watch Cullen while also packing up my entire kitchen.  Casey worked at home so that he could help move and pack boxes, and keep an extra eye on Cullen as well.

For some reason, I found packing up Cullen’s room to be much harder than I anticipated.  There was so much love in that nursery.  I know stuff is just that – stuff – but I spent a lot of my pregnancy working on his room, picking out his things, and rocking in the glider just thinking about his arrival. 

I bought my baby home to this house and this nursery, and I found myself very emotional as I took down his pictures and packed up his toys.  I know his new nursery will be (very similar) and even better, but this was his first, and that made it tough.

Mom and I spent about 30 minutes trying to figure out how to save the wall decal.  We got about halfway through before I gave up and said forget it.  I’m going to get another one for his new room, but this one just wasn’t realistically salvageable. 

By Friday evening, we still had a lot to do and I could tell I had probably overdone it during the day.  Casey and my mom stepped in and let me rest while they packed up our entire master bedroom and closet.  Casey drove all the clothes over to the new house in several car loads.  I think packing and unpacking closets might be the worst job!

We ended Friday night with the house (mostly) packed, and all of us totally drained and ready to crash.

And we shared one last Friday night takeout order from Revel.  I’m sure I’ll still be eating there plenty, but it will be very different from when it was literally around the corner.  Probably much better for our bank account.

Saturday morning – moving day! – came early.  Cullen hung out in the jumperoo with Grandma, while the movers emptied out the space around him.  Casey and I tied up all the loose ends and packed up the last minute boxes.

And before I knew it, it was empty.  Sniff.

We moved into our little townhouse in Fremont almost exactly a year ago (next week!).  I arrived that day in Seattle by myself.  I remember taking a cab to our empty townhouse, and thinking it was so strange to be in such a far away city all alone.  Shortly after, Casey and the dogs arrived in the car, and our life in the northwest began.

We celebrated that night, which happened to be our wedding anniversary, with dinner out in our new neighborhood.  I was 18 weeks pregnant and still sick as a dog.

And here we are just one year later, but with lives that are so drastically different and full

It was a great starting home for us as we figured out life here in Seattle.  Our first home as a family of three.  It certainly had both pros (so walkable!) and cons (so loud!), but it was Cullen’s first house, and I know I’ll always have special memories of his first days, weeks, and months here.

Scenes from the other side – the new house – to come!