Soccer, soccer, soccer…

Elke’s started back to her select team practices, the rec season is in full swing and she made her school team after all (woot!) so Steve’s back to running her around almost 5 days a week!  She scored her first goal of the season the weekend before last and is playing better than ever.

Steve’s rejoined his work team ‘The Issues’ and after playing one game, hurt his toe again - same injury as last time when he played before his surgery.  So he discovered his new cleats are folding just over his toe.  Some new boots and he should be back on the pitch with some regularity.  It’s so great to have him back to playing such a physically demanding sport!  I worry he’ll need to do a chest trap or someone will be a little too rough with him but I can’t be a helicopter wife forever, you have to let them play eventually…  Go Steve and Elke!

Design Change Request blog launched!

..or I finally had a few minutes to write the first entry.

http://designchangerequest.blogspot.com/

Enjoy!

Latest counts

	Current	Goal
Triglycerides	119
Total Cholesterol	144
HDL	37	> 40
LDL	83	< 70

Looks like I still have a little ways to go. Time to double the Niaspan to 1000 mg which should help.

Back to School

The girls started school yesterday, Elke 9th grade at the Junior High and Monica Preschool.  Pictures coming soon!

Elke spent the week after returning from Ohio getting prepared for school – her clothes and notebooks in order.  Steve luckily read the tiny print in a school email about girls soccer starting on the first day of school this year (versus April) so she was ready for try-outs.  Only 24 girls turned out (as opposed to 49 last year) so since she made the team last year,  it’s probably in the bag.

Elke had a great first day – she said it was “the best day of her life.”  :)  She loves her classes and teachers, has a bunch of friends in her classes and at lunch, enjoyed the lunch she packed herself, kicked butt at soccer tryouts and saw her old friends at Pandas soccer practice then had no homework other than having us sign a bunch of papers.  If she makes her school soccer team, she’ll be playing for 3 teams this year.  Her old rec team, current select team and the school team.  I was wondering this morning if all that might be bad for her but she’s holding up well and the school and rec teams don’t work her very hard.

Monica loves preschool.  We went to an open house on Tuesday so the kids could see the room and have a good idea of where they’ll be on Thursday, Monica cried when we left because she didn’t want to leave (and hadn’t had a nap ;-).  When we brought her yesterday, she didn’t want to wear the name sticker but went to playing with the toys right away.  We said we had to leave so she hugged us and went back to playing.  Steve was actually harder to pry away than Monica.  He lingered for a while almost like he was hoping she’d be upset but she wasn’t.  She played in the gym, the teacher read her a story, she “got to share and take turns”.  So cute!  She’s really growing up.

After talking with Sara after the drop off, I realized how timely Finn’s birth was, I am not grieving Monica growing up as much as I probably would have I think because we have a little guy at home still.  It all goes by so fast.  We’re so overwhelmed most of the time at home it’s hard to see it.  Like Wendy Dean (teacher at Evergreen Hosp Parent/Baby groups) used to say, the days take forever but the weeks pass by fast!

I think the trick is to have so many kids that you’re shoving them out the door by the time the last one leaves :)  Although I don’t think we’re there quite yet.

Hi Ho, Hi Ho…

I went back to work on July 22nd when Finn was only 12 weeks old.  It was very sad and hard to be away from him especially the first few days.  I would dash home at lunch (a quick 45 minute commute :) to feed him and kiss him and hug everyone then run back to work for the afternoon.  I know there are work people who read this so I don’t want to sound like I don’t care about work because I do but my heart is really home with Finn still and it’s been a difficult transition for sure.  Finn has been happy with Sara and Steve while I’m gone – he’s so easy-going.  I  know he’s loved all day while I’m away and that’s what really matters in the end.  You got to pay the bills… this is how we do it.  I’ve never appreciated  weekends more – time with my people is more precious than ever.

My team moved to the Commons just after I came back – this is a new MS campus of buildings with the largest parking garage in North America, a mall-like area called the Mixer with multiple stories of real restaurants (like Pike Place Coffee, Typhoon, Steamers – REAL food!), a bank, pub, post office, full salon that even does massage, ski and bike shop – it’s crazy!     So although I’m in a cubicle for the first time in my life (Joel Spolsky would be cursing MS), I am going broke at lunch while eating well.  There is a full soccer field (and other sport courts that I haven’t seen yet.)  I thought I’d look into joining a soccer team although from what I’ve seen there isn’t a big co-ed turn-out.  

Not having a private office means I’m pumping twice a day in the “Mothers Room” which is about 1/4 mile away from my desk (only a slight exaggeration).  It has two small desks with a clock on each and office chairs separated by a wall  and little spa-inspired green curtains like what you’d see in a shared hospital room.  The room is always cold and is painted  gray with gray linoleum flooring.  It’s like the opposite of how a Mother would design such a space but there is a sink which is very useful.  I used to wash my ‘supplies’ in the bathroom sink after Monica was born.  This is more convenient, clean and private.  Ultimately, it’s great that MS provides space for this – I’m quite lucky, I realize.  I just need to bring in some yellow paint, a rug, a big cushy chair from the lobby and some art for the walls – warm it up a bit.

Things were hard at home at first for Steve being not quite 100% and having both little ones to take care of.  It’s getting better every day now – last night I came home and dinner was being made!  This is a feat of uncommon tenacity.  I think we’ll settle in just fine from here, especially if we can settle into a routine where I’m not doing all the cooking :).

Summer Fun

Before returning to work, the weather was AMAZING – it was the week of 100+ degrees and hooottttt outside – just my style.  We had so many little adventures –

Monica had been waiting to fly her butterfly kite that she got for Christmas since winter, we caught the Sounders/Chelsea game with our dear friends the Stark’s (and incidentally sat 1 row away from the Morse/Santos families!), we went to Lake Chelan with the Steiner’s for a couple nights and spent some time goofing off in the yard and at home. 

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We have a little window A/C unit that kept the downstairs cool and a little kiddie pool that sufficed for a bath in the evenings. (Thanks to JoAnne for the hot-water spigot in the back yard idea!)

Steve had a birthday on July 25th – we had a tiny party at the house (sorry friends, this is all I have in me this year) – here’s the newly 31 year-old  Steve and his vegan birthday cupcake :)

I took Elke to the airport on the 27th for her annual trip to see her Ohio family.  They have a new addition this year, Grandma Linda, who moved from Redmond earlier this summer (she’s actually about 20 minutes away from Elke’s Dad’s place I guess).  When your minor child travels alone, they have a flight attendant accompany them and you get to walk them to the gate, wait with them  and watch the plane take off like the old days.  It’s always sad standing alone at the empty gate, waiting and watching the plane drive out of sight...  Now that Elke is 14, I realize there will only be so many more of these trips before she’s grown – or worse, too old for me to walk to the gate with her (but still my baby).  I wish I could freeze time on her right now while I still see the tiniest trace of little girl in her.  She’s turning into an amazing young woman to be sure but it’s hard to watch and it’s hard to let go.       

Man Work!

Steve cleaned the garage.  This is the first ‘man work’ he’s done since his surgery… OK, since many months before his surgery but he’s a software developer – what do you expect?

He was hanging things on the walls – loading stuff into the car, moving the bikes (motorcycles) around.  And now – everything fits like people who use their garage live here.  This all seems a little silly I realize but it was sort of a break through since he still seemed a bit fragile before this – we’ve crossed over to wellness and health and strength!  I have a strong, ambitious man again! :D

Yesterday, he put together our bed frame and somehow lifted our Tempurpedic mattress (foam mattress = HEAVY) up onto the thing on his own. 

I’d say we’re alive and kicking at the Enloe house :).