after a wonderful week in davis ca, we bid our goodbyes to day after day of 65 and sunny to make our way back to chicago, where the snow is blowing so hard at our apartment's altitude that it actually just looks opaque and white out the window. we had a balmy (for chicago) 35 degree day yesterday that reese and i took advantage of with a run, only to find the wind was blowing so hard off the lake my earbuds couldn't even anchor themselves in my ears.
i think it's safe to say the countdown has officially begun, even if my cautious, reasoned, calculated spouse, who dislikes nothing more than counting his chickens before they've hatched, is wary of making any formal announcements before deeds are signed, boxes unpacked, and new jobs begun. so you heard it from me: the countdown has officially begun.
as i mentioned when we signed off last week, we kicked off superbowl sunday with a 10k. after our previous effort around navy pier, the athlete in david was reawakened from hibernation and he really got down to business in terms of training. unfortunately, he was met with two minor but significant injuries in the 8 weeks between races--anyone who has a competitive fiber in their body can appreciate that what's harder than sustaining an actual injury is then respecting that injury and allowing it to heal while training days continue to tick by. i am very proud of him for waiting it out and not making it worse, although he was prepared for big disappointments, and resigned himself to taking it easy and just comfortably completing the race.
then, race morning came, and i was unpleasantly awakened by the sound of a wake up call, an alarm clock, the news, and david out the door to get a 5:30am shot of pre game espresso. the next two hours were a regimented routine of eating and drinking calculated portions of protein, carbohydrates, and caffeine, a brisk walk to the start line, and a warm up that i quit about 1/4 of the way in because it was more rigorous than i intended to run the entire 6.2 miles. we parted ways (and next time will probably do so beginning the night before the race--jeez!) as i made my way back to the older adult/young child/running with strollers/recovering from injuries/interval training/walking area, and david was off to the front of the start gate.
approximately one hour later, we reconvened at the crepe restaurant next to the finish line where big boy and grandma were cheering us on...unfortunately we both managed to run through the wrong finish line and missed them altogether. but, if i thought an athlete had awakened in november, i had no idea what i was in for. as it turns out, david's injuries were all but absent, the land was flat, the air was dry, the sky was sunny, the scenery was lovely, all melding to make ideal race conditions and allowing him to blow through the goal he had set, which has unleashed a new sense of dedication, inspiration and excitement in him. we're already signed up for our next race, back along chicago's lakeshore, this may. it will probably be our last race in this fair city for a looooooooooooong time.
after a short walk together through the uc davis arb including a notable wild turkey sighting, i spent the next few hours enjoying downtown davis solo, including a very thorough calf massage with my mani-pedi, and meandering in and out of bookstores, coffee shops and the like. there's something so charming and comforting about a college town. a year ago i really liked it and could see myself living there, but revisiting with a stronger sense of finality, i find i really love it there. i returned to our hotel in time for kickoff, and a few hours later i accompanied david to drown his sorrows in some thai food and beer.
the next day we spent a leisurely afternoon in berkeley, meeting cousins mary and jim for lunch, and taking an extended stroll through campus. here, chief had his first real encounter with grass. he seemed to like it. we love berkeley's beautiful campus, full of majestic trees and delicious, cheap food, even if two of our favorite restaurants there recently burned to the ground (!).
meanwhile, the word from michigan is that bean came down with yet another terrible virus and spent the rest of her stay there spiking fevers and barfing all over the place. poor bean. fortunately, she has definitely turned a corner we're told, just in time for our much anticipated reunion tomorrow (with dad and reese) and sunday (with mom, since i have to work tomorrow, boo). in spite of her illness she still manages to look awfully cute.
now, before our precious princess bean returns to her kingdom, it's really worth noting how much we've truly enjoyed the last week with reese. with both parents' attention on him, his grace and charm have become so delightfully apparent. i doubt there are many parents of a 9 month old who can say to them earnestly at the end of a cross country trip, thank you, sweet prince, you made this trip so much more wonderful by coming with us. not a single setback, wrench, or surprise, not a whine, a cry, a shout, not even a single poorly timed dirty diaper...when i say he was great on this trip, i don't mean in the context of having a baby on a trip. i mean that we enjoyed ourselves infinitely more with his constantly smiling, giggling, babbling little self around every moment. and now that we are home, he has played quietly by himself through several cycles of laundry, unpacking, and working, allowing us to type, read books, wield scissors and needles, coming around every so often to offer a big grin, and go back on his merry little way.
this past week, as we buckled and unbuckled him countless times, in and out of house after house after house, dragged our feet through tours of daycare centers and suffered through a particularly long afternoon at a new housing design center, on and off of flights, through security and baggage claim...this remarkable child kept a smile on his face when really, i would have rather been anywhere but where i was.
the most difficult part of parenting is patience, and accommodating the needs, before your own, of somebody who lacks the ability to be rational, reasonable, or understanding. and here, we have this magical little baby who has more grace and patience than any human i've ever met, at only 9 months old, when truly he has no reason to believe the world shouldn't completely revolve around him. we have registered over the past several months that he must be very mild mannered and easy going as he rarely complains, and by default, rarely gets the lion's share of attention.
his warm and lovely spirit that we have been able to appreciate more than ever this past week is a humbling reminder of the importance of attitude and perspective, that no matter how uncomfortable or how unfair life can be, you can choose to make the best of it. when i reluctantly return to work tomorrow, i have vowed to myself that i will try to be like reese, to put a big and sincere smile on my face regardless of what is happening around me, and to bring goodness and light to the people i interact with. that is all he does, and the world is so much better for it.
reese's favorite song is "roy g biv" by they might be giants, a song about the rainbow. one verse goes:
"you'll never see a unicorn, but you'll see a rainbow, and inside every rainbow is the spectrum of light. you'll never see roy g biv, but he's inside the rainbow, and inside every rainbow is the spectrum of light."
we feel so lucky to have our own little roy g biv, a cheerful little man who lives inside his own rainbow and brings happiness to everyone around him.
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