the joys of raising an infant!

Now that Dafney is 7 months old, things have been constantly changing.  I swear, she looks different every day & learns something new on a daily basis.  Lately, she's been working on her "sitting" skills.  She's gotten really good at sitting by herself.  Every once in a while, I'll hear my Husband say "timber", which I now know means that Dafney has fallen over :)  She's gotten really good at catching herself though & she would much rather be sitting than laying down.  

She tries so hard to sit up on her own.  It looks like she's doing some sort of amazing Pilates move when she attempts to hoist herself into the sitting position {I swear, that girl has abs of steal}, but she hasn't quite mastered the move yet.  Before I know it, though, she's gonna be able to sit up on her own.  

The poor girl has also started to "cut" teeth.  One of her bottom teeth have officially broken through the gums & if you look ever-so-closely, you can see a little tooth in there!  She's done well, considering how painful her mouth must be.  She has definitely been a bit more fussy, but she's been doing awesome.  I will say, it's heart-wrenching when she makes a high-pitched squeal-y noise & you instantly know it's because her mouth is in pain :(  

The "shirt" sums it up...

Otherwise, things have been going really well.  Dafney loves, loves, loves to be in water; I swear, she's half human, half FISH :)  We let her sit in the bathtub & splash around.  I honestly think she'd sit in there all day if we'd let her {however, it gets a bit boring after the first 5 minutes of watching her splash around}; 20 minutes is about all this Momma can handle!  We also have a little pool that we let her splash around in...she's definitely my kid, she loves water!

Splashing around in her little pool!

Lounging in the "big" pool at Grandma & Grandpa's

I'm still hopeful that she will start to sleep the whole night through in the very.near.future.  I'm not sure what happened; she used to sleep so well - I mean like 9-10 hours at a time.  Now, it seems like she will sleep 3-4 hours on average.  Seriously, I've forgotten what a full night's sleep is anymore {sigh}.  I think I've gotten used to being in a constant state of "tired".  I'm hoping that once her bottom teeth both break through the surface, her mouth won't hurt as much & she'll start sleeping better.  Wishful thinking?!?  Probably.  

I would let her "cry it out" more often, but when I go check on her when she wakes up, she's on her belly & I'm constantly afraid that she'll fall asleep with her face in the mattress.  But, when I turn her over, she's okay for a second & then realizes that no-one picked her up & instantly cries to be held.  It's a total lose-lose situation {actually, it's a win-win situation for Dafney...lucky girl}.  

When is it okay for infants to start sleeping on their bellies?

I wish I weren't so paranoid, but she seems to young to be sleeping on her stomach.  Thoughts?  

Hmm...what else can I bore you with my mother & father in-law are in town & finally got to meet Dafney!  She took to them pretty well.  I give all the credit to the magic that is Skype :)  They've even gotten a chance to babysit her!  Lucky duckies :) She must not have been too bad because they agreed to another babysitting job tomorrow for a couple hours!  Thank-goodness for grandparents!!

Tri-training is still under way {sort-of}.  I may or may not have taken a break from "training" this past week.  Mostly because we were crazy-busy last week & partly because I've been too tired to even think about going for a run, bike ride or swim.  I hope to get back into the swing of things this week...we'll see {if I were YOU, I wouldn't hold my breath!}.  

Whelp, I think that sums up things over at the MacKenzie household!  Life is always "interesting" & I'm sure I'll have lots of Dafney updates in the near future!  

Happy Tuesday!

Mini-Tri

In a mere 25 days, I'll be participating in my very first TRIATHLON!  I'm excited, anxious & totally nervous!  However, last night, I got to participate in a mini-triathlon!  

The awesome ladies from Luna Chix Minneapolis set up the mini-triathlon for anyone to participate in & it was nothing less than amazing {um the event, not the actual mini-tri).  They are amazing ladies & were so helpful, positive & inspiring!  

The "race" included: a 400 yard swim, an 8 mile bike & a 2 mile run.  It was the perfect way to figure out transitions, pace, clothing, etc. all while having fun!  

Here's a breakdown of the race:

The 400 yard swim was the easiest for me.  I've been swimming most of my life, both for fun & competition.  Water doesn't freak me out {unless of course something creepy touches me} & I knew that I could handle the 400 yards.  It was good to swim with 30 or so other girls & was a taste of what I can expect during the actual triathlon.  They weren't focused on times, but it probably took me about 6 or so minutes to finish the swim portion.  Not half bad.

Transitioning from the swim to the bike went much more smoothly than I had anticipated.  I figured I'd be one hot mess going from the water to the bike.  It really didn't take me long to get my shoes on, put on my helmet, get some water & hop on my bike.  Before I knew it, I was off for the 8 mile ride.

The bike ride was, well, tough.  I'm not a good biker & it doesn't help that I have the worst mountain bike on the planet.  I was ahead of most people after the swim & I think almost everyone passed me on the bike ride.  Yep, I'm slow.  But, I wasn't doing this to win, I just wanted to get a feel for the whole "triathlon" experience.  We biked the whole 8 miles on a nice trail with minimal hills {though, I may or may not have been swearing rather loudly as I biked UP each hill}.  The ride was just over half of what the actual triathlon will be.  I pray that I can make it another 7.5 miles for the actual race :)

Again, transition from the bike to the run wasn't bad.  I merely had to take off my helmet & put my bike back on the rack.  I also grabbed another sip of water & headed off for the 2 mile run.  

This was my first official "brick" workout and it was tough.  My legs felt like cement bricks.  I truly felt like my legs were stuck to the ground...was I actually moving?  At the mile marker, I was starting to loosen up & felt alright.  I took the run very slowly, but I ran it & finished strong.  Adding another 1.2 miles on race day shouldn't be too bad (crossing fingers) & I'm hoping the adrenaline from the race & the cheering spectators will help get me through the 3+ miles.  

All in all, it was a really great experience & I felt pretty good afterward.  I figured I would be super sore this morning, but I'm actually feeling pretty good.  I'm hoping to do that course a few more times before race day.  I think doing this mini-tri really helped with some of my fears & anxiety's; and I hope that this experience will help me to focus on my race come race day!  

I have a lot of training still to do, but I'm definitely feeling more confident.  

Happy day :)

Why??

Today I heard some sad news.  A "friend of a friend" was pregnant; they just found out they were having a girl & even had her name picked out.  They dreamt all things pink & were starting to envision their lives as a family of three.

Over the weekend, she was admitted to the Hospital & gave birth to her daughter early Sunday morning.  She was tiny, weighing in at less than a pound.  Sadly, their daughter was too premature to live & went to Heaven shortly after being born.  

My heart broke.

Tears welled up in my eyes.

I had to re-read the email....was I really reading such sad news?  I got the sudden urge to run to the daycare to hug, kiss & be with Dafney.  This news hit me hard.

It got me thinking "why"??  Why do these things happen?  Why is life so unfair sometimes?  Why does it take something like this to open our {or at least MY} eyes?  Why is it something like this that reminds us {ME} to not take anyone for granted?  Why is it that a situation such as this reminds us {ME} how precious life & the people in our lives truly are?  

It certainly makes me appreciate the people in my life, especially my daughter.  It makes me appreciate the smiles she gives me, the times she needs me, the sleepless nights, the "conversations" we have and the precious, precious time I have with her.  

I can't wait to go tell Dafney how much I love her & how much she means to me.  I want to tell my Husband how much I love him & how extremely important he is to me.  And, to all my family & friends, you're the greatest people & I'm beyond lucky to have each & every one of you in my life.

I know that I shouldn't need "reminders" as to how important the people in my life are, but it certainly has helped me to take a step back, look at my life & those in it & just be thankful.

Sending thoughts, prayers & strength to my "friend of a friend" & her family.  

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ 

Tri-Training

Remember how I told you I was doing my FIRST EVER TRIATHLON in August?  Well, it's a mere 34 days away...holy &^%*!  I've been doing some {not a lot} of training, but need to get my lazy butt in gear!  

I've gone to the Lake {shudder} a few times with my friend & fellow triathlete, Carly over the past couple of weeks.  I will say, the Lake is not as bad as I thought it would be.  I may have completely freaked out slightly panicked when one, little measly piece of seaweed touched my leg, but otherwise, it's been fine.  I'm not too worried about the swim; I'm more worried about the bike & run.

I've been doing a little bit of biking as well and let me just say, it ain't pretty!  I bike down to the Lake which is about a 1.5 mile ride & I'm panting & sweating so bad by the time I get there that you'd swear I just biked 100 miles.  Um, I can't even imagine tacking on another 14 miles to that.  I.AM.SCARED.

After yesterday's swim, I biked around the Lake which is about 3.5 miles & mostly flat.  Once I got into a rhythm, I felt okay.  I just hope to survive the bike portion & pray to the Holy Heavens that there aren't any hills!!

Currently, I'm rockin' a youth Schwinn bike {yep, I said youth}, but I desperately need a new/used bike for this tri.  However, I don't know a whole lot about bikes....so, any suggestions, thoughts, opinions on bikes would be greatly appreciated!  I'm not looking to spend my daughter's college fund on said bike, but want something decent.  

And, last, but certainly not least, the run.  I've hit the pavement a few times & feel decent.  I know that I can run 3.2 miles, but after a grueling bike ride...um, I'm not so sure.  It will definitely be a challenge!  My goal tonight is to bike & then run a mile or so, just to practice the transition from the bike to the run.  Should be interesting...

Regardless of how nervous & scared I am to do this race, I'm actually fairly excited.  A triathlon is something that I've always wanted to do, but never got the courage to actually sign up.  I have no real "goals" for this race, other than finishing & having fun.  

Happy swimming, biking & running to all of you ~

Foodie Penpals...

Did you know there were foodie penpals in existence?  Me neither...but now that I do know this, I may or may not be totally, 100% in freakin' love with the idea!  

I recently discovered Lindsay's blog which is where I also discovered foodie-penpals.  Seriously - best.idea.ever!  I mean, who doesn't love getting packages & trying out new foods? 

I am so excited to join the August "edition"...as in might pee my pants excited {um, I don't get out much :)}.  This whole "penpal" thing makes me feel like I'm 12 again...ah, the good ole' days!

Hmm...this kind of makes me wonder what other things I'm missing out on?!?  Like I said, I don't get out much!

Anyway...back to food & penpals :)

...and as much fun as it is to get a package {instead of crappy junk mail & bills}, I'm also really looking forward to "meeting" other bloggers & food fanatics!  

It's going to be so much fun!

On that note, happy Friday!!

A Red, White & Blue Re-Cap!

I can't believe it's July...and not just July, but JULY 4th.  This year was really fun!  

Dafney let us sleep in until almost 8:15am (thank-you, sweet baby girl)!  Since it's been 100 degrees here in the good ole' Midwest, we weren't sure what we were going to do to celebrate the FOURTH.  But, the Hubby's parents got into town the night before and they hadn't met Dafney yet, so we thought it would be fun to head to his Sister's house for lunch & to see his parents!  It was so much fun for Dafney to finally meet her Grandma & Grandpa Mack; she's only been able to see them via Skype!  

We enjoyed a lovely lunch & some fabulous company before heading over to my parent's place for some {much needed} pool FUN and dinner.  

I wasn't sure how Dafney would do in a "big" pool (much different than her pool), but much to my surprise, she loved it!  I'm fairly certain she's half human, half fish :)  She took to the pool like a natural...

I'm fairly certain she'll be making her {swimming} debut in the 2028 summer Olympics....

She was in the water so long that she became prune-y...that's my kid; she definitely gets her love of water from her Mama :)

She looks sad here, but I swear she LOVED the water!

It was such a fun day and I felt so blessed that we got to spend it with the ones we love ♥  

Hope everyone enjoyed their 4th...