Kelocity.com

A runner with an appetite for adventure!

Viva Las Baby February 25, 2013

Filed under: Baby,Las Vegas,Theater,Travel — Kelocity @ 2:33 pm
Tags: , , , , ,

My sister, Laurie, was in Las Vegas with friends this week and she wanted to extend her trip to visit us in LA too! We looked into flights from Vegas to LA, but in the end, we decided it was a better idea to just go there, spend the weekend and drive her back with us.
IMG_9984

Best idea ever. I miss this girl.
IMG_9990

We had a blast hanging out. Since it was a last minute trip for us, we didn’t have a set agenda so it was nice to roll with the punches.
IMG_9945
On Saturday, we met up with Laurie at the Excalibur pool. What a lucky girl.
IMG_9946

IMG_9949

We people watched and lounged poolside and then one of us took a nap.
IMG_9955

Irving, Adele and I spent the rest of the day doing some outlet shopping while the cool kids hit the clubs. After shopping, we grabbed dinner at Ping Pang Pong at the Gold Coast casino. And by “we” I mean Irving. I got TGIFridays to go. haha (Irving’s Side Note: Ping Pang Pong was recently rated one of the countries best Chinese food in the country by Travel + Leisure Magazine. Apparently I’m missing out.)

Sunday morning, we picked up Laurie and Jim and headed off the strip. Way off. All the way to the mountains to check out Red Rock Canyon. We loved it when we were there a couple of years ago and were excited to go back. Plus since Laurie and Jim live in Chicago, they don’t see mountains much.
IMG_9959

We didn’t get a chance to do much hiking, but the views were still stellar.
IMG_9960

Love this candid shot. haha
IMG_9961

We did the 13 mile drivable loop and saw the whole valley. They got out and took fun pictures on the cliffs, but it was wayyyy too windy for Adele. I tried once and poor girl nearly blew away.
IMG_9962

IMG_9963

After that, we drove back to the strip for some more sight seeing. First stop was the Stratosphere. Come to think about it, that was my first time there! Then we jumped over to the Mirage.
IMG_9966
 IMG_9969

We were actually looking for the lions, didnt they used to have a free exhibit? Am I making this up? Was that years ago? I thought there were free lions or tigers or something somewhere in vegas. Oh well.
IMG_9974

After that, we were all tired and headed back to our hotel for some much needed rest.

IMG_9980

And then Irving and I were excited to take advantage of our free babysitters for the evening and we headed out to see Mystere!
IMG_9977

Bye Adele. Bye Laurie. Um, good luck with that. hahahaha
IMG_9976

Just kidding, I heard the night went well. Lots of playing, lots of cuddles and Adele was in bed by 8pm. Wheeee! What a good Aunty.
IMG_9983

We loved Mystere. Not the best Cirque show in Vegas, but I heard it was the first one which in itself makes it special. You can see how the troupes have evolved over the years. This one was a little circus-y but the stage and lighting were great. And the acts were excellent too. (My #1 Cirque show is KA. But then again, I have yet to see O.

We’re currently en route back to Los Angeles. Irving’s driving, Adele’s sleeping and Laurie and I are chatting (while blogging). Excited for a few days of adventures with her this week! I’ve got a lot of fun things with Adele planned too. Can’t wait!
IMG_9992

And PS… just for fun… this photo was from the last time we were in Vegas! A lot changes in 10 Months! I was bummed she was asleep in the car when we took our iconic vegas sign pictures this weekend. Next time!

 

She Laughs, She Cries February 23, 2013

Filed under: Baby — Kelocity @ 3:44 am
Tags:

Adele’s in that stage now where object permanance is very important. She gets mad when you take things away from her now. It’s both funny and sad at the same time.

 

Outside the Box February 21, 2013

Filed under: Baby,Los Angeles — Kelocity @ 4:10 am
Tags: , ,

We took Adele to a class at Outside The Box on Monday. It’s a playgroup inside a mall near us that offers unique educational classes for babies. From their website:

“Outside the Box is an educational and developmental program consisting of facilitated classes which focus on brain  development for infants, toddlers, and young children through multi-sensory stimulation and specialized learning techniques.  Focus is placed on cognitive development and reached through playful and fun activities which foster attachment and bonding and create neural synapse activity the brain.   We play with a purpose!”  

I signed us up for the ‘Older Baby’ class, which is for babies who are crawling but not yet walking. There were about five babies in the class that day and it was SO much fun. Adele seemed shy at first, but she totally opened up by the end.
IMG_9874

We started the class by singing songs and doing motions with our hands. But instead of typical baby songs, we sang new songs… in Spanish! It was very fun.

I get to do songs in my mommy-and-me classes, but it was new for Irving so I enjoyed watching the two of them participate together too.
IMG_9877

Then our sensory play began! We listened to tribal-type music and played with silk scarves for a few minutes. The parents threw them in the air and the babies touched and grabbed them. Lots of pretty colors were flying around.

And then we moved on to Magic Carpet rides! All the babies were placed on a pillow on top of a blanket and the parents dragged it around the room in circles. Surprisingly, the babies didn’t fall off. It’s a great exercise for their balance and coordination. Adele was giggling out loud. She was LOVING this.
IMG_9879

Sure, Adele didn’t fall off, but somehow her right sock did in the middle of the ride. haha
 IMG_9881

After this, they brought out a kiddie pool filled with biodegradable packing peanuts for the kids to play in. Adele was hesitant at first, but then warmed up to the idea.
IMG_9892

They said we could put them in their diaper so they can feel the textures on their skin. It must have been a neat experience for a little baby.
IMG_9890

IMG_9891

And as if that was enough stimulation… they threw in some Mardi Gras beads too! It was like Christmas in there!
IMG_9897

After this, we did a drum circle and the kids had a blast banging on big loud drums and swinging tambourines. And we ended with a laser light show and light up super balls. Picture fifty oversized balls all blinking and glowing in the dark — all at once. It was cool even for the parents!
IMG_9899

We all had SO much fun at this place. We will be back! I hear they have Pasta Parties once a month too. They fill the kiddie pool with cookied pasta (coated in olive oil) and they let the kids play inside of it! They also have Jello Parties where they get to swim in Jello!!!! Seriously, think about that. How awesome would that be? These kids are so lucky!

 

Half Day, Fun Day February 20, 2013

Filed under: Baby,Motherhood — Kelocity @ 4:47 am
Tags: , , , ,

I got out of work early last Friday and I was determined to maximize the ‘fun’ in the day as a result. I zipped home and had lunch with Irving and then I went to pick Adele up from daycare! She was surprised to see me in the middle of the day, but she looked pretty stoked. I left my car parked on the street and I strapped her into our jogging stroller and took off on a run!
2013-02-15_15-52-08_310

I ran/jogged/walked for 45 minutes. My legs felt like lead. I have SO much endurance to build up before I really start half-marathon training again (next race is in November!) But I need to build my base back up to a solid 3 miles before I can dive in this summer.
2013-02-15_15-51-46_791

Adele was cheering me on with her cooing until she fell asleep.
2013-02-15_15-58-09_719

I think I covered 2.3 miles or so. Not bad for starting over. I can’t wait to turn the clocks back (ahead?) in a few weeks so I can go after work with her again.
2013-02-15_15-57-59_76

After I was done, I transferred a still-sleepy baby into the car and we headed off to the park! (I was on a mission to maximize fun, remember?) I found a cute little baby park nearby that was bustling with babies, toddlers, parents and nannies. Adele loved to swing back and forth while watching other little ones running around.
2013-02-15_16-52-58_772

And once we were all swinged-out, we walked right on over to the library! There’s a cute little children’s room with puzzles, toys and books to play with. We sat for a half hour or so and it was awesome. My heart was so full. I am so excited that Adele likes books.

2013-02-15_17-14-11_276

I let her crawl over to the shelf and pull off a book and then I’d read whatever she picked to her. I ended up checking four board books out of the library. Admittedly, I get a little bored with the books we have sometimes, so it’s nice to switch it up. Plus it’s an excuse to re-read all my childhood favorites too. Madeleine in Paris, anyone?
2013-02-15_17-16-11_221

And for our last adventure of the day, we went grocery shopping. (Believe me, doing groceries does not rank high on my “Fun” list, but with this little one in tow, it actually was fun). She loves looking at colors and people, so she was pretty much in heaven. I also let her play with a bag of shredded cheese and she was excited about that too.
2013-02-15_17-47-56_423

 

And we did all this (a run, the park, the library and groceries) in about 3 hours. Still home in time for dinner, bath and crawling time. It is days like this where I look back and realize how fun being a mom is. Adele makes it easy on me, but I’m seriously just having a blast.

 

Scenes from the Weekend – President’s Day Edition February 18, 2013

Filed under: Baby,Random,Weekends — Kelocity @ 11:39 pm

So much to tell you guys about! We had such a great long weekend! I’ve created a (good) habit of not touching the computer much on the weekends, so I haven’t put the posts together yet, but they’re coming!
IMG_9907
 IMG_9908
PS. Does my daughter have a lazy eye?!

Scenes from the Weekend:


-Cleaned our place from top to bottom. Rearranged shelves, got rid of bags in our closet, cleaned out the diaper bag, sorted through too-small clothes (sad) and tidied up a bit.

-Went on several neighborhood walks to enjoy our beautiful weather (mid 60s! My favorite!) Warm enough to enjoy the sun, but cool enough to wear a comfy sweatshirt. Yes Please!

-Grocery Shopping (x2). I also chopped, cooked, sorted and prepped the food for the week ahead. I’m cooking for THREE now! Lots to think about in the kitchen, that’s for sure.

-Made a homemade lasagna.

-On that note, I also pureed Adele’s food for the week (Peas, Sweet Potato and Pears this week!)
IMG_9914

-Went to the Library

-Babysat one of Adele’s friends! We’re doing babysitting trading for free date-nights date-days and we’re so so so excited!

-Went to the park x2
IMG_9910

-Did a “Mommy (and Daddy) and Me” class (I’ll share that with you this week! It was awesome!). Then the three of us went out to lunch after and I got the best BLTA I’ve ever eaten. Ever.

-Attempted to do our taxes. This didn’t go over so well with an 8-month old attention-hungry baby at our feet.

-Adele got her FIRST TOOTH! Finally!!!!!!!!
IMG_9911

-We lowered Adele’s mattress. Now that she’s sitting, crawling and almost pulling herself to standing, it was time.

-Did 6 loads of laundry and 4 loads of dishes. Exhausting.

-Lots of bath time, reading time, skyping with family time and cuddle time.

-Watched a documentary with Irving during Sunday nap time! (Score: Adele slept for TWO HOURS mid-afternoon!)

-Celebrated a birthday with friends at Benihana! Adele loved watching the chefs cook. So fun!

-I made French Toast with Cinnamon Raisin bread. Delicious.

-Gave Adele yogurt for the first time. (She approved).

-Watched the finale of Downton Abbey. (OMG, who watched it? Don’t want to ruin it for anyone who hasn’t watched yet, but seriously, WHY DID THEY DO THAT?!)

-Oh, um, signed up for a Half Marathon. Here we go again! You can never fully cure a race addict. Good thing I have 8 months to train!

-Worked out with my LA Racers team (three miles with Adele!) Let the training begin!
163393_10200658218557950_2059419398_n

Wow, seeing that list makes me tired. It felt like we got a ton done, but none of it felt like too much. It just flowed nicely. And having the extra day off doesn’t hurt either. We’re getting really good at packing it all in and making the weekends count. A little bit of work and a lot of play. It was a blast. More pictures from the past few days will be coming this week!

Happy Monday!
IMG_9909Wispy baby hair blowing in the wind is my favorite.