Kelsie Meyers

02:30 pm: I HAVE A NEW BLOG!!!!!!!!!!!
http://blandfoodistasty.blogspot.com/

My husband is amazing. The blog is still under construction, but it is functional. See you there!!

My husband really is amazing, really.

02:50 pm: to innoculate or not??
So we are feeling better and now I am trying to decide about H1N1 vaccine. At first I was definately not and that has moved to a maybe. I don't know yet...if I was not pregnant I would not do it. hmmmmmm

06:09 pm: sickness
our house has been an full of sick sick sick this week. Everyone is coughing and sneezing etc. LAME. Francis and I have had a particularly hard time but I keep thinking the end is in sight. Pregnancy wise things continue to improve and I think I will be as close to my usual self as I am in pregnancy soon. 15 weeks now, it is moving along at a decent pace although feeling sick with a cold is a bit overwhelming. Oh well. Here's to tomorrow being a great day!

07:49 am: my best friend
today is a devastating day. My best friend is letting her foster son go. He has been there for just over a year and now will be permanently placed with his Grandmother. If you know her, please pray for her, her family, and her much bonded 1 yr old. I know that they will be grieving. There has to be Hope there though. "God may your grace and mercy stretch far in the coming days in miraculous ways. We need you."

today there is no understanding, just heartache.

09:46 pm: time
I just looked at at the weather this week and toward the end of the week it barely hits 70 with the rest of the week being in the low to mid 60's. Time to switch out the clothes. I love to do it, it always feels a bit cleansing.

04:03 pm: 4th time
you know you are on your fourth pregnancy when you are searching to read everything online about how many weeks you are...only to skip the whole part about the baby's development and try to figure out when YOU will FEEL better. I am really excited about the fourth addition to our family, not so excited to go through another pregnancy. In fact, right now I just feel trepidation about the pregnancy, the birth, and the first 3 months of the baby's life. With your first (and maybe your second and third) there is this novelty about the beautiful thing happening inside you. For me now, I am so overwhelmed by the three that I have at ages 5,3,1. I just am not even in survival mode, but desperation mode. I have to get through the day so that I can get through the next day. It sounds melodramatic and trust me I feel as melodramatic as it sounds. I am in my 13th week and every day I wake thinking, "will I feel better today?" The answer every day so far has been, a little. Yes today will be a little better than yesterday and tomorrow a bit better than today. I hope.

I met with a few women the other evening who had all had home births previously. They re-inspired me temporarily. It was good to be in their company and hear their stories. One thing we talked about a lot was diet. In particular a high protein diet (80-100 grams daily). I crave protein all the time, I did with all of my pregnancies. They have all been healthy and good. It is just fun to focus on specifics this time. We will see.

Kyle took the boys to Ironton last night so Mags and I had last night and much of today by ourselves. We had a good time together. She was so well behaved and happy and again I realize how much individualized attention she needs. We walked around the mall last night, had breakfast together at Tommy's, folded clothes, and napped. The girl never left my side not even during sleep. As soon as the boys were home she had her first melt down. Hmmmmm, girls (self included) are so needy. How do I make her feel unique and special in the middle of the group?

08:55 pm: 12 weeks
the desperation is starting to lift. 2 days now I have not been overwhelmed with fatigue and there is hope in sight. Kyle and I took the kids to Mt Vernon today and Canaan rode his bike all over the campus of good old MVNU. It was a pleasant day for all of us.

12:06 am: she finally did it
it took 2 hours of on and off the potty this evening but Maggie Meyers has officially pooped in the potty. I just could not let this go any more. She had started holding it now and literally had not pooped in six days. I held her down on the potty at times, we prayed that Jesus would help her, and finally when she did poop I was holding her down and I said "Mags focus on mommy and we sang Jesus loves me" that was the trick. I was SO PROUD of her!!! I know she will try to not poop again tomorrow but I am just staying close to home this week. Enough is enough. She can do this and so can I.

It is 12:10pm. I have already been asleep for a few hours but the midnight nausea has struck and I am up with a bowl of cereal. Such is my life. The vomiting had held off until this past week and I have now thrown up 4 times this week. Hoping the closer I move to and from 12 weeks (I am now 11) the better I will start to feel. There are good days and bad. Come on energy...my children, husband, and home desperately need you.

OH yeah, Mags told me tonight that Jesus was in my heart and the baby was in my tummy.

12:04 pm: scattered
when I am not pregnant I get really excited about getting tasks done. I am not great at it but I still try to be task driven and make an attempt at order. These days I avoid ALL tasks like the plague. I should be cleaning the kitchen, bathrooms, and bedrooms not to mention the budget today. However I get so distracted by the smallest thing like email, facebook, and now my journal which I rarely update but today it seemed imperative to do it right now. I hope this ends soon because honestly our whole family does much better when the mommy is on top of things. So I am going to clean the bathroom right now and maybe even get Mags dressed. Now those 2 things will make my day successful. Seriously, who am I right now? Kyle is so over it : ) but trying to be patient. I think once my energy returns I will be more inclined to get things back in order but now the couch is just so darn appealing. I probably could look at old pregnancy journals and see the same behavior with the other three. Then again I really should not even write about it because the next thing I know I will have spent 2 hours reading old journals. Lame. I want to be in control again. 11 weeks tomorrow...the end of the first trimester is in sight!

07:10 am: new day
I got up this morning and ran/walked for 2 miles. This is MAJOR accomplishment for me since my energy has been so low. I hope it is not a fluke and I am actually starting to feel better. THe nausea is definately subsiding and my energy is slowly returning. 10 weeks on Thurs. I may actually experience a true 12 week feel better experience and that would be a first. Now if I could just get my food choices back under control...

05:28 pm: update
so today has turned into quite the day. I picked Canaan up at 2pm and he was pretty worn out but happy. I am excited but so overwhelmed. School is for real, they are not messing around....It will take some adjusting for all of us to get used to the rigorous schedule and long day. Canaan is up for it though. I just want him to be confident in it and that will come with time. As soon as I got home from school with Canaan I took Mags to see the Wiggles. We were both star struck and they did amazing. She was so happy to be there and it may have been as big of a day for her as it was for Canaan. The Wiggles performed some of our favorites and I was pleasantly surprised at how much fun the show really was. Now I am wiped out!!! Pregnant and tired...I have not written about the pregnancy yet on my journal but I sure do have some thoughts about a 4th go around on all of this. My amazing philosophies on pregnancy and family will have to wait until I am not so darn exhausted. I just hope I can remember them. My mind these days is not quite up to par.

09:31 am: the first day
Canaan's first day of school was today. He was more than excited. The transition went much more smoothly then preschool, he was fine and over all so was his mother. I made it out of the classroom before I started to cry so that was a huge relief. We are so proud of him, excited for what this year will hold, and know he will do great. When he sat down at his table he looked at me and said "I like it here!" and the mother can breathe.

07:16 am: fishing and family
last night we met with Kyle's brother and wife and the kids went fishing. Canaan caught 2 fish and Mags caught a turtle. They had a blast and it was so relaxing for all of us to be together.

Kyle and I have been finding so much more time to sit and talk lately and it has been good. Last night we sat on the couch for 2 hours settling in to our life, sharpening the way we see our roles and confronting and accepting who we wish to become here in Franklinton. I love him.

The marathon is 10 weeks away. Training is going well which makes me nervous. I am really close to my goal and I want to imagine that I can get to the starting line. I will train like I will but I am not holding to fiercely in case it does not happen. We will run 8 miles on Friday and that will make 25 miles for the week. That is a lot for me.

07:20 am: first tempo
today was the first tempo run of my training schedule. On Mondays I do a quality workout with different speed things but on thurs it is a tempo run where I try to run that day's mileage at race pace. For me that was 11 min mile (maybe) I ran the 4 miles today at that pace exactly and felt awesome. That is slow but still decent for me. I did that at 5am and followed it with my ymca class. The first upper body class since my shoulder injury and that was good too. My shoulder is weak but no pain so I definately have things to build on.

On a regular life note, the summer is flying by and we are having so much fun. So far we have had a great trip to Myrtle Beach, A long weekend in Maryland and one week from Friday we will leave for our vacation to Michigan. We have had so much fun this summer. I love summer and I love our garden in the summer. It is at it's peak I think as far as appearance goes and the new joy is sitting out there in the evening with my husband and just relaxing. I love it.

Mags is saying "I am healthy" for I am thirsty and continues to tell me "something is what's wrong" when there is a problem. That is just a personal side note for me to remember later. The kids are well though. Canaan is all grown up and I just stare at him and think "When did this happen?" we let him stay up with us in the evening and hang out a bit. This is our Canaan time.

Mags is giving up her nap. I am trying to keep her up through the afternoon so that she goes to bed at a decent time. It is working so so. She is really cranky by 4pm. Her third year has been our hardest so far with more emotion than I know what to do with but I really think in a year's time I will not even remember all the drama. I hope anyway.

A light switch has turned on inside Francis and he is all boy. He has more energy than the rest of our family put together, loves to wrestle and most of all loves to laugh. He is a joy but currently living up to the name stinker as he will do any rotten behavior simply for a reaction. The bigger the reaction the funnier it is. There is not an ounce of defiance in him but still he gets himself into trouble. He and Mags are becoming great pals but that comes with it's share of arguements with Canaan generally taking it upon himself to referee. He is a bit baffled by there arguing and fighting. It is good for all of them.

Today will be another fun summer day at Cosi seeing the farm machines. Francis will call all of them cars but will probably gasp in excitement every time he sees a new one. He will see "ook ook. Car!" over and over. He also is obsessed with ducks right now. every animal that is not a dog, cat, or cow is a quack quack. He has a quack quack that he carries around a lot. He is talking more and more. yesterday he started saying "cheese" for the camera. So precious. Ok, enough random thoughts. The biggest joy of running is my equally big breakfast. Lately it has been a bowl of oatmeal(bob's 8 grain), an egg, a piece of toast and some fruit...maybe a little coffee. Yum!

one final note. Grammy is here this week. We love her and are enjoying spending time with her, there has never been easier company.

07:29 am: run #2
just 3 miles...lots of humidity but glad I did it. The hard part will be now gearing up for a run on Thurs, Sat and Sun. That is alot for me these days. On another note, leaving today for Maryland for the 4th of July and to celebrate my birthday a little early with the willoughbys. Being that my birthday is in summer I have had a lot of big birthdays (including my 1st, 5th, and 13th) with them so it is a bit significant to be there to celebrate 30. The only thing is that my uncles LOVE to sing Happy Birthday to me as loud as they possibly can. When I was 5 and they did it I cried. Even as a 30 yr old I know I will still fight tears when they sing so loud! It is ackward but I completely appreciate them.

07:23 am: run #1
first run was not bad at all. I was a little more tired than usual for 4 and going back to the hilly bike path was a bit of a challenge but definately doable. I am getting a sports watch to start keeping time. This will be good and bad...good to keep me going, bad at making me disappointed for not being fast enough. All in all though I am excited and encouraged.

10:02 pm: tomorrow it begins
tomorrow is the first day of training for the marathon. I am so excited and nervous at the same time. I have not run in 2 1/2 weeks because of a shoulder injury so tomorrow's initiation run I am sure will fall way short of amazing. The training plan I have picked out is not terribly daunting. I think if it gets me to the finish line then I will call my first marathon successful. I am going to dedicate most of me journal time to the 16 week journey of marathon training. I am nervous because I cannot guarantee that I will even get to the starting line. I have had some injuries this year so I am not naive enough to think that I will have smooth sailing. I really want to run this, but I do not want to want it so bad that I am disappointed. So for now I will focus on one run at a time. Tomorrow an easy 4 miler...I can handle that.

07:56 am: I am a mom so I guess that means I post on mothers day
I love my children...they are my joy and they each hold my heart a little differently. They are creating a strong woman out of me and I hope I can return the favor one day and help them to be strong as well. Each new year with them brings more questions about what is best but each new year also brings a closer bond for our family. We feel like a family. I used to feel like Kyle and I had little kids but at this phase we are 5 and so happy.

To each of my children
Canaan: You are my sensitive, loving, sweet, compliant intelligent beautiful son. This year you have grown up so much. You are my 5 yr old and with that has brought a new level of understanding in you and a new level of enjoyment. I am loving exploring your world and I know you are too. Kindergarten has to wait I don't want you to grow up so fast but I am enjoying you now as my son as much as I did you as my baby.

Magnolia: You are My beautiful 3 yr old girl. Your heart is exploding with so much emotion and it is awesome. The joy and wonder that you bring to your world has brought joy and wonder to your family. Thank you for that gift. To you this year I hope to let you wander a little more, let you discover your femininity a little bit more, and hopefully laugh with you a little bit more...and yes we will keep dancing to those Wiggles. Your eyes reveal your soul. You are lovely.

Francis: You are My engaging, enthralling, personable and yet so independent one yr old. You have my heart. Your lighthearted nature and sense of adventure create peace in our home. Your siblings love you and are enjoying beginning a relationship with you, we all are. My goal with you this year is to get you to walk : ) and to stop nursing. I think you believe there is no end in sight. We will watch for dogs, read books, dance, clap and play. There is so much fun to be had with you leading the way. Life will follow you stinker pants.

Then there is my husband who lifts me up when I am tired, steps in when I have gone to far, and is the only other person to truly know the love and obsession I have for our children. Kyle you are the love of my life. Thank you for loving all of me.

Ok now that I have been entirely to emotional with this Oscar like acceptance speech, the day needs to begin. Time to make breakfast, feed the kids, try to squeeze in a cup of coffee with my husband, get every body dressed, change diapers, make beds, clean up the kitchen and oh yeah get a shower myself then it will be lunch time and we can start all over again. Sometimes I dread it but today I am just thankful.

10:01 pm: my 5 yr old
tonight I had the seemingly not so lovely pleasure of taking all three children to the grocery store. Not only was it bearable it was manageable for one reason...Canaan pushed Maggie in one cart while I pushed Francis in the other. Canaan was so proud about helping and I was proud too. He is my boy.

12:09 pm: Mags in Ironton
Magnolia has been in Ironton and today I am starting to miss her : ) I think having a few days apart has been good for both of us but now I am ready to be with my sweet baby girl again. She is having a fantastic time with Nana and Grand Daddy though getting TONS of attention that she needs and craves. I am glad for all of it.
I am back up to 3 mile runs I think. We did our first full 3 miles yesterday. I will keep it here a few times before trying to increase again. Strength training with Melinda was awesome today and I am exhausted. My arms are limp...equally as fun as getting stronger is trying to be more flexible and comfortable upside down..head stands are my friend and foe and I hope to just be able to do one soon I NEVER had any strength even as a very lazy child so I hope my body catches on quickly. I may be doing my first 5k for the season in a few weeks. It will not be fast at all but it will be great to be out there. No goals now but by the end of the summer I really want my 5k to be under 30 min. We are going to Ironton tomorrow and I just want to be outside as much as possible this will be the first wonderful weather weekend of the Spring. Yeah!