Old Things

It’s nice to be somewhat back to “normal”. As usual, “normal” is a relative term. After all, life is all about changes. So, when is anything “normal”? As a reference point right now, I am speaking of my exercise program.

I continued to exercise throughout my pregnancy. In fact, I did my regular daily pilates the morning Emry was born. Of course, my exercise regime of running, and jumping rope, and yoga, and pilates, and interval cardio training at least five days a week changed up quite a bit while I was pregnant. I knew jumping rope was probably not wise. I ran until January and only stopped then because I was afraid of slipping on icy sidewalks and taking a fall. Yoga and pilates continued mostly unchanged (although reaching my toes was impossible) and my interval cardio was much lighter.  So, as a whole, I didn’t find pregnancy hard on exercising. Then I gave birth…

For me, post partum recovery was the worse thing I have ever recovered from. It’s not like a pulled muscle, or strained Achilles tendon, or shin splits. Those I can run, jump and play on anyhow – I just ice them afterwards. But giving birth has taken a toll on my body I never imagined. Walking was about all I accomplished for 7 weeks…because if I tried to add something (a slight run, a bit of yoga), I just went into relapse. I was starting to wonder if I would ever recover when I suddenly felt okay again. Mostly.

My body is still working itself back to “normal”, which I may need to redefine. Seven weeks of almost nothing did no favors to the strength and abilities I took for granted. Not being very flexible to start with, I’m just now reaching my toes again. I am working my way back up to a 4-mile run, which will come soon enough but not at 10 minutes a mile for a while. I got back to jumping rope just this week. The yoga and pilates are working to build my muscles back into place. I feel a bit sore, yes, but I also feel better than I have since giving birth. It is so nice to be heading back to “normal”.

Meanwhile, Emry enjoys our daily exercise sessions. She usually falls asleep in her stroller as we cruise along Pittsburgh’s bumpy roads and sidewalks. She stretches, and kicks, and babbles as I move from downward-facing-dog up to my warrior poses. And she sits in her little chair and watches as I jump rope. No doubt, she will join me more and more as the months go by. After all, she ran and stretched with me in the womb. Now we’ll just continue the habit.

Two Months

It’s hard to believe it, but our little Emry is now two months old. She is “talking” much more, yelling when we leave her alone to play and suddenly realizes that we have done so, sleeps through the night (which means 7 hours right now) and – most importantly – is growing. In fact, she may weighs eight pounds and nine ounces now! Here she is at one month:

And a little more serious at two months:

After all, being two months old is so much more grown up than one.

And just because this picture is cute:

Just Ducky Pittsburgh

For our first anniversary, we decided to do something neither of us (or Emry) as ever done: go on one of those ducky tours.

I’m sure most of y’all have seen them in Boston, or Charleston, or any major city where there is both land and water to tour. The “bus” is an old World War II vessel used on both land and see, especially during invasions like the beaches of Normandy. Very timely that we should be riding in them on the 71^st anniversary of D-Day.

Of course, you would never use these vehicles in war now. As you can see from the picture below, this vessel now painted bright red, would be a sitting duck. (Quack, Quack, Quack!) If you can’t quite make out the name of the vessel, it is Dahnthan Dottie. This is Pittsburghese. Mine is still rusty, even after a year, but this can be interpreted as “Downtown Dottie”. I’m afraid I will never have the correct accent to speak Pittsburghese, but put a clothespin on your nose, say “downtown” and you’ll come close.

 Emry and Ed with Dahntahn Dottie.

The tour was very fun. The tour guides more than a little lively with lots of quick (and quack) facts about Pittsburgh. We did a lot of quacking, disturbing the citizens and other tourists (especially all the young, cute girls going to the Taylor Swift concert that night) with our quacking. We saw a great deal of Pittsburgh from both land and water. Seeing Pittsburgh from its rivers was a nice point of view, but I wouldn’t take a tour in one of the ducky boats if I wanted to see the rivers themselves. It would take months…

 Pittsburgh from the Allegheny River.

So, what did I learn about Pittsburgh? Well, the first Big Mac was made here. As well as the first banana split. PNC Park is made from imported steel. (I’m in agreement with the tour guide that this may be why they haven’t won a World Series before or since moving there. Something like the “Curse of the Bambino”. I mean, why does the “Steel City” import steel to build their own baseball stadium?) There was once 17 inclines going up Mt. Washington. They were built so the coal workers wouldn’t have to climb all those stairs, but the inclines were so expensive to ride the workers wouldn’t spend their money on them. So, the city hired “ghosts” to scare the workers off the stairs into taking the inclines. Now there are two inclines remaining that are something fun to do. (I haven’t done them yet, but when I do I will take a larger bill for the machine because they give back dollar coins in change.) Pittsburgh’s theatre district is second only to Broadway in the number of theatres it has. And there are 446 bridges in the city of Pittsburgh. This is three MORE than the city of Venice.

I think the most information thing I learned has to do with Pittsburghese. Another thing Pittsburghers say a lot is “Dahn-thar” or “Up-thar”. (Interpretation: “Down there” and “Up there”.) The tour guide helpfully told us that when you use either of these terms, it really doesn’t make a difference which way you’re pointing. Just point and use whichever one comes to your tongue first. That has been very helpful…and explains why I’m always getting turned around and lost in this city.

Truly, it was a very fun way to spend our first anniversary. Even Emry had fun!

Our First Anniversary!

One Year

Believe it or not, it has been one year since I arrived in Pittsburgh. 365 whole days. And what a year it has been!

This time last year, I was pulling my hair out trying to pin Uhaul down about the location of my worldly possessions. My mom and I were getting lost trying to find grocery stores, flowers and other things to get ready for a wedding. Friends and family were preparing to arrive in Pittsburgh. And all my thoughts were consumed with to-do lists and pulling off a ceremony and reception that wasn’t too stressful and a blessing to those who came.

All that seems like a lifetime ago – not merely a year. Of course you know that getting married is going to change your life. Especially when you move half way across the country to do it. But even with that knowledge, I don’t think any of us realize how much life can change.

In the past year, I have gotten married. I have become the owner of a washer and dryer and bought a couch. I have gotten lost in the city I now call home more times than I can count. I have changed my name (which took months!). I have seen fireworks from Mt. Washington, been to a Pirates game and ridden a bike all over the city of Pittsburgh. I have a new job, joined a new church and enjoy a wonderful library system. And – biggest and best of all – I have a baby girl lying in my arms who is presently fighting taking a nap.

One year. It passed like a blur…full of it’s own set of trials, joys, tears and laughter. What a year!