A Day of Firsts

1) Ella got herself into sitting position from lying on her belly.

2) Ella crawled forward a few "steps."

3) I started a new weight-lifting regime for 4 weeks (if it helps, will post before and after photos).

4) I signed up for my first Half Marathon.

Hopefully I will live through #4...

Happpppy 10-Month Birthday To Ella!

OK, so today is Ella's ACTUAL 10-month birthday - and to celebrate, what did I do? I ran a 10 mile race - The 31st Annual City Manager's Trophy Run. It was much harder than I thought it would be...my friend Keith and I ran it (he did it even though he did a Triathalon YESTERDAY!), and it was "fun." It was extremely hot out there with very little breeze for comfort. At times it felt like I was breathing the air inside of an oven...but hey, what can ya do? I finished in 1:38:52, which was an average of 9:54/mile. Not too bad, all things considered! I was number 253 out of 352. Again, not too shabby. At the end of the race, we were expecting lots of water, bagels, fruit, etc. We were right on one count - plenty of fluids. However, not a bagel or a banana in sight. They were BBQing burgers and hot dogs. At 9:30am. After running 10 miles. We promptly left as we both felt as if we were going to puke up the precious water we had ingested. The smell of burgers on the grill was truly nauseating. Only here, in good ol' Long Beach!! Next up: a Half Marathon (13.1 miles)...date to be determined (pending recovery time from this race!).

Oh, and here are some pictures of Ella playing around in her new wading pool with her mummy yesterday!

Happy Birthday :)

Happy...for now.

The first attempt at touching the cool water on a hot day...

...not happy with that!


Getting SO big!

My girls!!

10ish Month Doctor's Visit

Today was Ella's 10 month visit, and her last vaccine was given! She is now 21lbs 2oz, 28" long and has a big ol' 17.5" head. Next doctor's visit: 1 year old!

Super Model

Today, while shopping at Babies R' Us, Angela was approached by the staff for a free photo of Ella. Who are we to decline a free photo? So, here it is (you can see the tears in her eyes as this shot was taken in between bouts of screaming):

My little beach-bum!

I Know, I Know!

Yes, I KNOW it has been a while since my last post, but a) I have been busy, b) I have been tired and c) I haven't had much to post really...alas, I have gotten multiple demands from all over the globe to update this space, so who am I to deny the people what they want??

So, um, lets see...I had a photo shoot this past Wednesday for Men's Health magazine - and before you ask:

1) Yes, REALLY.

2) No, I don't know which issue yet...

3) I was surfing their website, clicked a link to share my weight-loss story, and was promptly interviewed and, now, photographed.

So, I met with the photographer and his crew at Coney Island on Wednesday afternoon right before a storm was supposed to hit us. To make a long story short, I had to run back and forth over and over and over for 2.5 hours. I had to trot, sprint, smile, be "intense", and do so for I would say at least 150 photos. It was very hard work, but the photographer Justin Steele (www.justinsteele.com) was a super nice dude, very professional, and from the few photos I saw, takes some awesome and flattering photos of this flabby bastard!! :) He said he would email me some, and when he does, I will post them. Needless to say, I am still sore 3 days later, and the sunburn is just starting to subside.

Now, of course, your Ella fix:

Not thrilled about being trapped in the laundry basket.

First Mother's Day out of Angela's uterus...!

Standing up all on her own!

Here is a little compilation video, including the ever-so-popular "If You're Happy and You Know It" hand-clapping!

Long Island Marathon (10k)

Yesterday was the Long Island Marathon...and half marathon...and 10k race (which I ran). It was quite cold and brutally windy at the starting line (at 7:30am), but I bounced around, up and down, over and over to keep warm. Some guy addressed us over the loudspeaker and then Kevin Covais, the kid from last years American Idol, sang the national anthem. Shortly after that, the horn blew, and off we ran...directly into the wind. With the adrenaline pumping, I hardly noticed. I reached the 1 mile marker in 7:30, which is quite incredible (for me). I decided I had to slow my pace down or I would burn out...I hit the 5k spilt, and my time was 26:40, which was better than my best 5k time. I again told myself, "Slow down dumbass, or you won't finish!" As usual, I don't listen to anyone, including myself, because I refused to slow down. I finished the race in 53:48, which destroyed my former time of 1:00:54. That is equal to an average of 8:30 per mile. Which is insane. I finished 122 out of 639 runners. I then went home and immediately signed up for a 10-mile run in a couple of weeks. Then I went to the gym. I think I have a problem.