Photo Shoot with Jonathan O'Brien

Let me just tell you how incredible Jonathan O'Brien is....we did a family shoot with him on October 30th and he did a great job.   The time with him flew by much too quickly (we will probably schedule him all day next time) and he was great with Teagan which was quite important if we were going to get good shots.  Since my new sponsor, Tiny Prints, has offered Christmas cards to us we decided to use some of the shots from the shoot with Jonathan.  He was kind enough to send a few shots our way so I could use them on the Christmas cards.  Here are a few of the photos he sent my way....

*Caution...the blue eyes you are about to see will make you smile uncontrollably and feel a sense of sweet calmness* 

*the dress Teagan is wearing in the above pictures is from Miskabelly the online vintage store. AMAZING. Go there. You won't regret it.*

Miskabelle/Miskabelly

I was so excited when Melissa on Dear Baby announced the winner of a gift certificate for Miskabelle/Miskabelly and it was me!!!  I've loved their site for a while now and literally did a happy dance when I found out I had one....seriously, the e-mail I sent Melissa to claim my prize was pretty hilarious. 
I basically stalked their site for days figuring out all I wanted to order because there were (still are) SO MANY THINGS!!. I ordered Teagan an adorable jacket (that she can't wear quite yet), a dress that she wore for pictures with a Mr. Jonathan O'Brien and then this adorable top that she wore to see her Aunt Livy!!

Running progress.

"Everyone who has run knows that its most important value is in removing tension and allowing a release from whatever other cares the day may bring." -Jimmy Carter


Today, I needed this quote before my run.  Sure, I ran according to my training guide but the run kind of sucked.  I wasn't focused.  I wasn't able to feed Teagan at lunch because she was asleep and feeding/cuddling with her in the middle of the day just does something good to my soul.  I wasn't able to block out the spiderweb of thoughts in my head.  Okay, enough of my rainy day blues mood. 
Training is going pretty well.  I've condensed an 8 week program into a 6 week program because I didn't have to start out on the initial building up from scratch thing.  I've been in "official" training mode since Tuesday (oddly enough by the program Monday was a day of rest).  I'm feeling pretty good.  My IT (iliotibial) band is acting up again but should be fine if I remember to wear my brace when I run.  That 13.1 number is kind of daunting but I'm determined to cross the finish line running on December 12th. 
I am however, kind of disappointed in the fundraising.  I plan on starting letters this evening to send out to people.  I realize the holiday's are racing (no pun intended) upon us but all I'm asking for is, well anything.  $1-$1,000 will be gladly accepted.  Also, for any runners (or non-runners) who would like to join my "team" on Crowdrise I would really appreciate it.  Or if you would just like to help raise money or awareness! Just let me know!

Being kind.

A few weeks ago I saw a Barley & Birch facebook question posted. One of their mommy friends was having some breastfeeding issues and they were asking for advice.  Having been there myself I decided to put my two cents in and tell them as much as I could about the stuff that helped me during my problems.  I'm not shy when it comes to topics like this or basically anything involving my pregnancy or baby type stuff.  I think everybody needs a little help once in a while and if a question is asked then I will be more then willing to answer it. 
Anyway, I had contacted them earlier about buying a onesie for Teagan.  We were to go camping that weekend and I wanted this onesie to commemorate Teagan's first camping experience.  It was a little more then I would typically pay but it was cute and it is 100% organic.  I feed Teagan organic food.  Why should her skin feel any less? So, in their return message to me they said they would like to send me that particular onesie. Free. They just wanted me to know they appreciated my kindness and they would like to send me (Teagan) this token of that appreciation.  All they asked was that I tell my friends & the bloggy world about it.  I was definitely okay with that! So, here goes!

I literally checked the mail everday for a week or two waiting on this onesie.  I was so excited to get it.  The day I checked the mail and it was in our mailbox I let out a squeal and ran back to the car to show Teagan.  "Your shirt is here, Little Bear!!" I immediately handed her the envelope and she proudly carried it into the house.

Of course after I got her out I opened the package and pulled out the onesie.  I let Teagan hold it and play with it for a little while and then we raced upstairs (she beat me) to put the shirt in the washing machine so she could wear it the next day. 
When I put it on her that morning she didn't cry. She didn't wimper.  She kind of did a little happy dance!  The shirt washed beautifully.  There was no fading, no running of colors and no roughness anywhere on the shirt.  The shirt is incredibly soft and wears very well.  Teagan played, napped and ate in her new shirt and the shirt came home like it left (except maybe with a food stain or two, haha). 

Our First Sponsor, hooray!

I must admit, when I put the Advertising Opportunities tab on the website I felt a little silly.  Who in the world would want to advertise on my page? I just blog about what a pretty average family does...mostly I write about Teagan and her adventures.  Well, I almost hyperventilated when I got the first e-mail from Tiny Prints .  I looked at their site and instantly loved it!  We are trying to cut back on frivilous spending and if you are too then Tiny Prints is the way to go.  They have cards in all price ranges.  You can get cards starting at .49 cents per card.
I'm all about online ordering when it comes to cards or photobooks because I really don't have the time to sit down and make Teagan's scrapbook or handwrite a million Christmas cards.  Even though I don't have enough time in the day to do that I do like the idea of having a little bit of personalization and thought put into the cards.  This year it will be pictures of Teagan.  This year we will be using Tiny Prints. 
I have been looking through the website and trying to decide which ones we will go with.  There are SO MANY to choose from! Here are some of the ones we're trying to decide between:

Rainbow Tree
Lace
Log Cabin
Snowflakes   (one of my top choices)
Hidden flowers
If only this one said Merry Christmas.

There are actually a few more (well, like 10 more) that we can't decide on.  We being me but Josh still gets say in it! Which one do you like the best?

Replacement.

Has your heart ever hurt when your child reaches out for somebody else when they're in your arms? Have you ever felt replaced by a babysitter, daycare worker, teacher, grandparent or spouse?  Does it hurt? It kind of kills me inside.
Teagan has started wanting her independence.  From me.  She has started reaching for her teachers at school (who are incredible by the way).  She has started reaching for her daddy (which usually puts a smile on my face).  She has started reaching while she is in my arms.  She has started reaching away.  As I write this my eyes are filled to the brim with tears but I'm willing them to hold the flood gates closed.  I know she is only 9 months old and she is exploring and gaining her independence.  I know I should feel comforted by the idea that she trusts these other people enough to leave the safety of my arms and go into theirs.  I am usually comforted by this idea but today I'm not.  Today it hurts.  Maybe it's the rain.  Maybe it's the fact that I can already feel her pulling away and growing up.  Either way. I hurt today. 

Have you met Getty?

If you have noticed my blog lately you can see that I've streamlined the layout a little bit.  I've left up the necessary things and the items I feel are important.  If you look to the right of this blog post and see a button that says "Getty Owl, helping Baby Getty" I'd like for you to click on it after you're finished reading this post.  I want to you to not only read the blog but look up at the top and click on What is SMA and read it.  I did and I've decided to do something about it...or at least help.  I don't remember how I came to know about Getty's blog  (maybe I was drawn to the owl) but I do know that I keep up with it regularly and the strength of Getty and her parents never ceases to amaze me.  They recently got to go on a small vacation and sweet Getty, 7 mths, almost kicked her parents out of the hotel bed (read their latest post).  Getty's mom, Kate, introducded me to Sophia's parents.  Sophia's parents are raising money for the research of SMA1 (Spinal Muscular Atrophy) because Sophia, 20 mths, also has SMA1. 
Anyway, most of you know I have been saying for MONTHS that i was going to carve out some Mommy time, that I was going to get back into shape and that I was going to get back into running.  Well, as usual, life gets in the way...it tends to do that when you have a baby (NOT COMPLAINING).  I decided that if I were going to reach my goals then I needed to have a reason to reach them.  Something I felt was bigger and more important then my selfish reasons.  After reading that you could say, isn't staying healthy for Teagan a good enough reason? Yes, it is.  I am healthy. I can run around after her, I can carry her for hours and I take care of any need she has.  Teagan is also, Thank God, healthy. Getty is not. Sophia is not.  Babies with SMA1 are not.  And there is no cure.  Yet.
So, this is my challenge.  This is the thing I needed to light a fire under my rear end.  I am going to run for Getty and Sophia.  I want to help raise awareness for SMA1.  Josh and I have discussed wanting Teagan to know from an early age how important it is to help people.  How is she to learn that if we don't provide an example for her to follow?
My goal is to raise $1,000 by December 10th, obviously more would be great.  I will be racing a half marathon on December 12th.  Training is going to be difficult because
a) Teagan is still nursing and so I have to be back from my runs no later then 7:45pm in the evening.  Also, on the weekends I will have to schedule my runs around her eating schedule (I don't make enough extra for her to bottle feed during the weekends).
b) Running a half marathon is HARD. There is no question that the training is going to be grueling.

Even if I get to the race and I'm not completely ready I have already decide I will go through with it.  If I have to walk/run for 13.1 miles then so be it.  I will cross the finish line with my head held high. 

So, if you would like to donate to this cause I have set up an account on Crowdrise .  If you don't feel comfortable giving money online then you can contact me at RiciReid@gmail.com and we can figure out something. 


Here are some facts about SMA Kate sent me:

SMA is the #1 genetic killer of young children.
SMA is estimated to occur in nearly 1 out of every 6,000 births.
1 in every 40 people, or nearly 10 million Americans, UNKNOWINGLY carries the gene responsible for SMA. Few have any known family history.
SMA is a pan-ethnic disease and does not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, or gender.
There is currently no treatment and no cure, but the National Institutes of Health (NIH) selected SMA as the disease closest to treatment of more than 600 neurological disorders.
Researchers estimate that a viable treatment and/or cure is attainable in as little as 5 years – IF provided adequate resources.
The American College of Medical Genetics recommends that SMA carrier testing be made available to ALL couples planning a family, regardless of ethnicity or family history.
 
If you would like to know more about SMA1 here are some websites Kate suggested to me:
Families of SMA
Fight SMA