Duly Noted

I was going to write :"our little nugget's due date came and went," but she isn't a nugget anymore!  Not even close!  She is feeling like a real baby in there!  All knees and elbows.  Regardless, her due date came and went on Wednesday.  This wasn't a surprise for anyone, including me, although I was hoping that maybe she would make an unexpected appearance in the days leading up to May 25th.  The good news is that Mike is done teaching for the year and I decided to make Tuesday my last day, so we have been enjoying some time together with Misha at daycare.  These past couple of days have been rather peaceful as we have finished some projects (our basement guest room is ready!), started some new ones (Mike is replacing all outlets- he is on a total home repair kick), whipped up some desserts (strawberry shortcakes with ricotta filling, one of my favorites), and organized stuff (like an electronics drawer- found an undeveloped one-use camera from 201...

You may have noticed that my time spent blogging is negatively correlated to Misha's growth.  I believe I didn't even publish a six month update!  Are you surprised?  Probably not, especially if you're a parent.  It's too bad that Misha can't spell yet or he could blog for me.  He thinks computers are pretty fascinating.   Here's a quick update: Recent Developments: Sitting up...all by himself Interest in other kids! Eating food! Spiky hair Waking up 1x per night Sitting up by himself for the first time.  11/12/13 Misha's favorites:   Activities: Playing piano with dad Watching the records spin Singing and dancing Morning cuddle time Turning pages of books Bath time, splashing! Ipads, computers, cell phones (he knows how to swipe and type.  Kind of disgusting but that's our reality.) Watching Rachel the dog Riding in the stroller with runner mom Books: Puppy Boo Little Blue Truck ...

Waiting for the start.  All the photos in this post are credit of my running buddy, Rose. Pre-race smiles in the middle of the pack. Morning sunlight pouring down Summit Ave. Another late race report following another satisfying race!  To my good fortune, I was selected to run in the TC 10 mile, the little sister race to the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon.  Runners are chosen through a lottery system for the TC 10 mile so I always feel pretty lucky when my number gets pulled! This year, I started the race with a speedy running buddy of mine (and talented photographer as you can see from this photos!).  After a summer of hardcore hiking and training, Rose was ready to PR.  I didn't know what to expect although I hoped to beat my time from Women Run The Cities 10 mile race without overdoing it.  (I still had a half marathon trail race and the Monster Dash Half marathon ahead of me!) Some of the most memorable moments of this race were before we even arrived a...

Oh My!  Happy Birthday (Grand)Mary!!!!!! I just can't believe it!  How exciting!!!  Will there be chocolate cake? Who am I kidding?! Grandmary will definitely have cake.  And...DQ too!?  I'm IN! Not so many years ago. Pleased to meet cha, Grandmary! This lady knows how to snuggle. These are my grandparents, you dig?

HA-HA-HA-HAAAAPPPPY BIRTHDAY (GRAND)DAD!!!!!   I love my Grandpa. This is fascinating stuff.  I am riveted. Seriously, are you hearing this?!  Grandpa is hilarious.  

-Backyard happy hour with old friends (including two pairs of soon-to-be parents (one of which just moved to Minneapolis much to our pleasure!) and two pairs of parents with newborns!) -Long run with a favorite running buddy (Highlights included free lemonade from a rummage sale!  It was advertised on a sign and we could not resist.  I felt a little bad for indulging since it was very clear we were not about to leave with slow cooker!) -Afternoon work/hangout date with a fun English colleague!  I really love helping teachers build websites...I should seriously get paid for this (google?  district?  who wants to pay me???!) -Sunday morning easy run with Misha and another favorite running buddy. -A lovely backyard dinner (basically a deconstructed lasagna with ricotta and sautéed zucchini, garlic, and tomatoes) -A morning visit to the State Fair with my boys.  Misha's first fair!  We had a great time.  I am a big big fan of the morning fai...

Preface: I wanted to write this race report while it was all still fresh, but with a four month old and my return to work, this post quickly dropped its priority status.  Luckily, I jotted down some key memories immediately after the race to stimulate my writing later.  Those anecdotes are included here! *** Almost two weeks ago, I crossed the YWCA Women's Sprint Triathlon finish line for third year in a row.  As I raised my hands in the air, the announcer cheered me on, "Molly of Minneapolis- This is her first triathlon post baby Misha!  She just had a baby and triathlon!" This shot truly captures the thrill of the finish line.   Last year, Misha completed the race with me and my mom in the "buddy heat."  Only a few weeks pregnant, I kept my mom company as she worked her way through her first 500 yard open water swim, 15 mile bike ride, and 5k run.  This year, we signed up as a "mother-daughter team" with each of us competing in our own age g...

July somersaulted into August as Mike, Misha, and I headed from our cabin weekend to joining Mike's family in the northeast.  There, our days were colored with gray fog rising off the water in the morning and jewel toned sunsets.  Early morning coffee with the baby and rounds of game playing in the evening.  Trips to the local corner store for soft serve coffee ice creams.  Long runs along hilly roads with views of shingled farm houses and adirondack chairs.  Postcard perfect views from mountain trails and steep, careful downhill climbs with precious cargo strapped to my frame.  A cold swim for a little babe in a evergreen shaded lake.  There was a not so satisfying crab cake, and, fortunately, a very glorious oh-so-savory crab cake later on.  With lots of eager arms and quick smiles about, Misha savored the loving attention from his family while Mike and I set off to complete as many crosswords as humanly possible.  :) Preparing to set o...

McCarthy 4th of July tradition lives on...DONUTS! Hipster baby.  Bringing brooklyn to MN. New picnic table arrived on the 4th!  Perfect for a potluck. Bruchetta Sleepy Misha We need new landscaping but we are rocking the American flags.

After a very successful Friday date "night" (it was 4 in the afternoon*), a huge storm hit Minneapolis and we lost power for over 72 hours!  I have never been without power that long except for camping.  Initially, an unintentional power outage was a nuisance.  We moved food into coolers and bought ice.  We found our headlamps and changed Misha by flashlight (he thought that was pretty hilarious).  We couldn't use the internet.  Irked that our neighbors across the street had power, Mike muttered some great one liners: "The block of despair," and "We are the forgotten." By Sunday afternoon, no power was my new normal.  Who needs power in the height of summer?  The power outage occurred on the longest day of the year.  We had hours of sunlight and warmth.  Our gas stove worked as did our hot water.  A generous friend offered her basement refrigerator as storage for our food that survived the first 24 hours...and ...

Just hanging out with one of my favorite guys on a summer afternoon. 

Goodness gracious.  Misha man is two months plus a little extra something somethin.  Today was his two month doctor's appointment.  The boy is growing!  Since his birth, he has almost doubled in weight.  Misha weighed in at 11 lbs. 6 ounces.  At 23 1/4 inches long, Misha is in the 63% for length and his long legs suggest this may continue increase.  And, according to our spunky pediatrician, Misha is on the verge of releasing his first rounds of laughter! Over the last few weeks, Misha has learned some new tricks.  He... -smiles often (when awake and asleep!) -holds his hands together -smiles at colorful mobiles -pushes off of his legs when held or laying on his back -rolls from his belly onto his back -enjoys the pacifier Misha loves... -morning jumping exercises and dancing to "Gangnam Style" -listening to us read books to him and staring at the illustrations -bath time in his blue kitchen sink bathtub. -getting his d...