So Now All Of A Sudden I Need A Cuddle Bunny

Over Easter weekend the Piccinato family gave Miles a bunny. A SUPER soft, SUPER cute, a not too big and not too small bunny. Miles really hasn't figured out the security that a stuffed animal can offer yet. Once in a while he will chew on Elmo's eyes, eat the kangaroos tail, or suck on the rabbits ear, but all in all he's not much of a stuffed animal guy.....Yet. Just for the record, he's also not a blankie, thumb, or a soother guy. He was a boob man until he started biting me, but that's all in the past (see previous posts).

So the other day, as I lay on the couch with Dave (watching our previously taped 24) it occurred to me that when the show got suspenseful I was cuddling said bunny. I laughed at myself, but that didn't stop me from cuddling it. In fact, over the past few days when I sit down to watch the tube I find myself actually "needing" the bunny. I hold it in my arms, rest my head on it's oh so soft fake fur. It doesn't even phase Dave when I ask him if he could please pass me the bunny. This bunny is now part of the living room decor (along with a mess of other toys). I imagine most people who walk through our doors think that the bunny is Miles'. Little do they know, it has become my cuddle bunny.

Thank You For Waiting...My Ass Hurts Again

It was March, 2004 that I got the running fever. I had decided that I needed to get into shape and had asked a few friends if they might be into running. My friend Penny, who I really barely knew at the time, was the only one to jump on the offer (I can't remember how hesitant her yes was....If it was at all). Our first run was from my old apartment on Spadina around Christie Pits Park and back, just under 5K (later to be referred to as short run). It snowed that day. We both vowed to make running a regular thing. It felt good.

After running for a few months we were not only in fantastic shape, but we were becoming wonderful friends. Our first run was for The Brain Tumor Foundation, a 10K fundraiser. I don't think we walked once, but it PISSED buckets, and we couldn't have been more proud of ourselves when we crossed the finish line. It was that taste of group running and motivation that swept us into a ridiculous spin of long distance running.

The following collage highlights some of our very fist long distance runs (and yes the proofs are lifted from the web site)

Our first long run was The 25K Niagara Ultra (some crazy fools even ran 50K). You can see from the photos we have our numbers on our backs to start, and on our fronts to finish.......Amateurs. But we didn't do to badly Results, despite the fact that our bodies ached beyond belief. The collage also highlights our first half marathon 21K. The Detroit Half Marathon to be exact. We ran from Detroit's Comerica Park, U.S.A, across the Ambassador Bridge to Windsor, Canada, though the tunnel to the U.S., and finished on Ford Field. Beautiful day, great conversation, amazing run, and to top it all off, I was almost 4 months PREGNANT! Results.

PREGGERS....That's what ended the intended chain of long distance running in far off countries. Penny was amazing. She still ran with me almost every day (even though I was a lot slower)...Until we couldn't anymore (I think we ran until January and then it just got too slippery).

So instead of running, we swam every day. Doing laps wasn't nearly as fun (you can't talk under water), but swimming was the absolute BEST when I was pregnant. It was the only time that my body didn't feel like LC the Cow. After every 20 laps we'd chat for a bit, and then continue on. These lovely pics are near the end of my pregnancy.

After my c-section I wasn't really running for a while, and well, being a new mom sort of kept my time full. Penny waited patiently. I trained on my own for a bit, and we ran a 5k race for The Breast Cancer Foundation,but I still didn't feel up to par. In all honesty, I think I had lost motivation...That and my tits were two big. I mean running with three sports bras is a fantasy no woman should ever have. I was still very active, I just wasn't running.

Penny waited patiently (she ran on her own, hoping I'd come around again). This month, I decided that this was going to be my month. I have caught the running fever again (much to Penny's delight). It's taken a few weeks but I can run 7K without walking (though I'm still not at my old pace). I think my biggest challenge is pushing the damn running stroller. The bloody front wheel doesn't turn, and Miles + stroller = F*&^ing heavy. We take turns with the stroller now. It feels so good to be running again, even if I feel like I'm chasing Penny half the time. I'll get to where I was again, I know it. Just have to run through a sore butt and tired legs once in a while.

On May 7th, we participate in The Brain Tumor Foundation10K run again. I feel like this is the start of some beautiful runs and more motivation to run the distance.

Thank you for waiting Penny.

Sorry about posting the bathing suit pic. Had to. Thought you wouldn't mind considering I posted mine too.

Flying Martini

Miles flies his first kite....attached to my back!

For the past four years, my family and our friends have had a kite contest on top of "the hill". Every year there is lots of food to eat, alcohol to be consumed, and awards to be given. Each year, more people come and join in the fun. This year there were about 20 participants. There were martini glasses, fish, dragons, planes, blimps, turtles, frogs, butterflies, box kites, the Wiggles, Sponge Bob, robots, and your standard rainbow kites all flying in the air (at some point or another). It was beautiful.

The wind wasn't perfect, it had it's gusty moments. Some kites flew beautifully, some kites landed at the bottom of the hill, and some of us spent a lot of time winding string and finding the perfect kite. Fingers crossed that next year offers a beautiful day and more friends to fly with.

Four Generations

Mom, Me, Miles and Grandpa

I'll Give You The Food Off My Tray For The Hair Off Your Back

This is the latest scene in our house during breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack time. Miles eating (or throwing which ever you prefer) and Chewy hovering (ever so discreetly my ass) and waiting for food to fall so he can gobble it all up. One might wonder why a single Cheerio or a 1 cm. cube of cheddar cheese would be so worth the agonizing wait. I don't bother wondering. All I know is I can't stand that Miles has now recognized that the "Guh" (aka dog) wants his food and that Miles is more than happy to share whatever he has with the dog. In fact, it's what makes eating more fascinating.

Sometimes Chewy is completely oblivious that Miles has tossed and entire handful of food to him. That's because it's all stuck in the fur on his back. Now I have a dog and a baby to clean after eating. Perhaps I should consider myself lucky. The two of them are cleaning up after each other. Chewy eats the food that Miles tosses onto the floor, and Miles sweeps all of Chewy's hair up when he crawls. Perhaps everyone thinking of starting a family should get a dog. I hear it's just like having a kid....ha!


I thought I'd add this photo segment of Dave and Miles.

Miles got Mega Blocks from Nanna and Nono for Christmas, and we just recently busted them out. Miles mostly sucks on them and gets bored of them pretty quickly (it's actually the bag that is more interesting). It seems to me someone is having more fun then the intended recipient of the gift.


I don't have a picture of the finished product, though I really wish I did. Dave was so proud that he used every block and in perfect symmetry! (good boy Dave!). He even brought it into the kitchen where I was feeding Miles (and the dog) to show it off. I was simply amazed when it got knocked off the table after he left for work and I had to clean it up.

And The Winner Is.....

And the lucky winners to the "Guess What's Going On In This Photo" contest are Grandma & Peepa. Together they guessed correctly (only that's my leg and not Daves). If you read this blog or talk to use enough, you would know that Miles has to take a poo standing up.

Now what I have failed to mention in the past, is that Miles needs to be visually entertained in order to participate in this whole pooping ordeal. Sometimes you have to move from location to location in order to "get it all out". What you see in the photo is a common starter spot...The dishwasher. The dishwasher is ever so fascinating, being shiny white and having six buttons and all, but it is also conveniently located next to these really cool white cabinet doorknobs that are also fun to grab while pooing.

Top 10 Favorite Pooping Locations
1. See through Ikea dresser we have. You can pull and tug at all sorts of interesting items inside. Yes, there are some socks and underwear. He likes it. I don't argue. Clearly we've tried it all.
2. Dishwasher / Cabinet Duo...You can move back and forth to each entertaining item.
3. Any window or door that has a lovely view of the outdoors.
4. The Bathroom towel rack. It moves up and down...Fascinating...Simply fascinating. It is located near the Bathroom Cabinet. It too has the ever famous white doorknobs.
5. The coffee table. But only when it has entertaining items on it(remote control, books, toys etc.) Ahhh the remote.....TV on, TV off. Volume up, volume down. Channel 2, channel 18.
6. Standing on our bed trying to grab at the mask on the wall. This was out of desperation and it worked.
7. Leaning against his favorite office chair. It turns and has a black twisty knob, oooooooo.
8. Standing facing the book shelf. That way he can simultaneously rip books off the shelf and poo at the same time.
9. Recruit Chewy, our dog (only as a desperate measure). Hoping perhaps a stand off of some sort will "get things moving". It's worked in the past.
10. If we are lucky the kid just does it on his own (unless it's in his highchair or bouncer, then it's just a squishy mess).

As I type this, I realize we are either going to have to install some sort of entertainment device in the bathroom for potty training. I'm going to have to act out short skits and or dance. Perhaps we are going to have to have a portable potty which cruises to different locations around the house. On the upside, as least we don't have to worry about him pooing in the bathtub!

Go ahead...Laugh at us.

I promise my next post won't be about POO.

I'll Give You Three Guesses

I absolutely love this picture. However I know what's going on (so it is a bit tainted). I'll give you three guesses.....Can you figure it out?

Miles has finally made the world wide web. Rock Your Baby (a super cute baby clothing store in Australia) has decided (and we agree) that Miles is cute enough to be posted on their web page (check the gallery section). What a rock star.