I started a couple of months ago, I started week one like this:

Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

No sweat, right?  Well, I sweated.  A lot.  And panted, too.  I sure did look cool in my new Mizuno Wave 11 kicks, but my body was going through hell.  Post workout, I felt great, if a little sore. Somewhere around here…

Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following: Jog 90 seconds, Walk 90 seconds, Jog 3 minutes, Walk three minutes

…my knees decided they had had enough. “Hey, big boy” they called out, “who do you think is doing the work around here!”.  By my best estimates, I’m about 30 pounds overweight, and the sheer force of my body bouncing on my joints had pissed them off something awful.  I iced, I rested, I walked.  But when I started feeling better, I did the right thing and got out the door and ran again.  I’m on week 8 now, my first week of no-stop runs.  I’ve done two 20 minute trips, but always interspersed with some intervals.  This week is 3, 20 minute runs.  I won’t lie…I’m a little scared.  I may have to stop in the middle and walk for a minute, but I’m damn sure going to finish.  I’m not losing weight (my eating habits are awful) but I feel fitter and more flexible.  I have more energy.  And I’m motivated to start making other changes in my life.  I want to be able to play all day with my Pipsqueak.  I don’t ever want to say “hold on, let papa catch up, little girl!”.  It simply doesn’t have to be that way.

If you’re thinking about starting to exercise, but hate the sheer thought of it (as I did, and still do to some extent. I prefer to think in terms of “running”, not “working out”), check out some of the boards for n00b runners.  It really doesn’t take long to appreciate the fact that it’s free, connects you to your surroundings and makes you feel better.  You’ll stumble, maybe even give up all together, but it’s seriously worth a try.  Did I mention it’s a half hour or more with headphones?  Hell, I haven’t had that luxury in years.

I have to plug an iPhone app called “GetRunning“.  There are plenty of apps out there, as well as podcasts that can tell you when to run/walk.  Or you can just look at your watch.  But GetRunnings calm, British woman who gives you updates, lets you know how much further you have to go and offers gentle encouragement is totally worth it if you have an iPhone.

Now, about that 5k thing.  My goal from the beginning was to be able to run 3 miles.  That’s all…no racing for me, thank you!  But I have to say that as I’ve been running for a while now, a 5K seems like it’s in the stars for me.  Runners are a pretty cool, diverse group, and so many anonymous people have kept me going with encouragement and sharing their stories.  I like runners. And I think in order to be taken seriously, you kind of have to run a race or two.  I won’t be in a competitive field, but I think I can do it.  Look for an update in the fall.

On a personal level, it was the first album release that happened while I was touring with the band.  After the amazing time I’d had at The Clifford Ball, I knew I was hooked.  Phish played a mini-set of some of the acoustic Billy Breathes songs in Plattsburg that I was lucky enough to be very close to the stage for.  It was the first “pretty” stuff I’d seen them do, and I had a feeling they were on to something special.  I recall (fuzzily) my dad taking me to the mega book & music store in Hamburg to pick it up.  I listened so closely for days.  In particular Prince Caspian (a song I would later come to despise) caught my ear.  But I was also enthralled with Free and Theme From the Bottom.   Fall Tour ’96 started a few days later, and though I hadn’t planned on it, the Buffalo show was the first of 29 shows I’d see before the New Years run.  It was a fantastic run of shows, and I have very clear memories of standing Page Side High watching CK5′s bubbly green lights during Theme and the swirling frenzied strobes for Free.  I was so drawn to these songs, but I never really put my finger on it.  Free rocks, don’t get me wrong…but why did it feel so real to me?

It was years later during a conversation with my wife that I finally figured it out.  The majority of Tom Marshalls lyrics up until BB were about characters, feelings, abstract ideas.  Listen to just about anything on Junta and you’ll get my drift. No one really thought Trey wanted to take them out for Dinner and a Movie.  But Billy Breathes was loaded with personal songs.  Lots of “I” and “you”.  When I heard Trey singing “come waste your time with me…” it really felt like he was addressing me.  Lost, bored, confused 17 year old me.  And it felt nice. I belonged!

Now, at night, I put my daughter to sleep with these tunes.  It’s really special to me…she’ll always remember (in her primal brain, perhaps, but nonetheless…) these songs as comforting.  I’ll always remember them the same way, but with a new layer of love on top.  Watching her eyes flutter closed during Talk is the most beautiful thing in the world.

We’ve shared Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Eve.  We’ve witnessed first roll-overs, first laughs, first babbles, first temper tantrums.  She came out of the swaddle (I was scared to death that she’d never sleep without it).  We’ve successfully mastered cloth diapers (a big post on this subject later, I promise), dream feeding and so much more.  I’m proud of us, and every damn day I’m proud of her.  We’ve been through some real rough times as a family in the past six months too…but through it all love prevails.

I put together this video the other day, and I’ve yet to watch it without getting a little misty.  It’s simply unbelievable how much shes grown, and how far we’ve come as a family.  I hope you enjoy it, and if you have any questions about what Piper’s been up to, please do ask in the comments.  I’ll try and post again real soon, but you know how it goes…

The song is “Home” by David Byrne and Brian Eno, from their album Everything That Happens Will Happen Today.  Lyrics below.

The dimming of the light makes the picture clearer
It’s just an old photograph, there’s nothing to hide
When the world was just beginning.
I memorized her face so it’s not forgotten
I hear the wind whistling “come back anytime”
And we’ll mix our lives together
Heaven knows, what keeps mankind alive
Every hand goes searching for its partner in crime
Under chairs and behind tables
Connecting to places we have known

I’m looking for a home, where the wheels are turning
Home, why I keep returning
Home, where my world is breaking in two
Home, with the neighbors fighting
Home, always so exciting
Home, were my parents telling the truth?
Home, such a funny feeling
Home, no one ever speaking
Home, with our bodies touching
Home, and the cameras watching
Home, will infect whatever you do
Where home, comes to life from out of the blue

Tiny little boats on a beach at sunset
I took a drink from a jar and into my head
Familiar smells and flavours
Vehicles are stuck on the plains of heaven
I’ve seen their wheels spinnin’ round
And everywhere I can hear those people saying
That the eye is the measure of the man
You can fly from the stuff that still surrounds you
Where home and the band keeps marching on
Connecting to every living soul
Compassion for things I’ll never know.

• The Internet & YouTube: Seriously…people had babies before the Internet?  How did they know that their kid had milk tongue, not thrush?  How did they figure out how to put on a cloth diaper?  How, how??? A an important side note, the geekily inclined can find lots of pregnancy and baby movie torrents.
• The Miracle Blanket.  Swaddling is a Very Important Tactic in keeping your sanity at night for many parents.  We’re big Karp believers, but trying to keep one of those tiny receiving blankets wrapped up tight on Piper was simply impossible once she was one hour old.  Miracle Blankets make you feel like your straightjacketing your kid, but man alive, do they work.
• DIODER lights at IKEA. I’m saddened that I can’t find the link for these at IKEA, because they’re one of the neatest things I’ve bought for baby.  It’s a 10 inch long strip of directionally focused LED’s, running on a few AAA batteries, that light up when you open the drawer.  They shut off 20 seconds later.  Every night when I slog into the nursery to change a diaper at 4 AM, I have no need to turn on the light and ruin our half asleep state.  I open the drawer, can see what I need, and move on.  Seriously….awesome.  DIODER is a line of products, it appears, so beware…you want this one.
• A nice drill.  I highly recommend DeWalt gear..it feels great, lasts forever, and the other dads will know you mean business.  Why a drill? Trust me, you’re going to start noticing things that need fixed.  It’s the male equivalent of nesting.  Not to mention all the furniture assembling you’ll be doing.  And things you will be attaching to the wall because your wife told you to that’s why. And oh, did you know that battery compartments on kids toys are secured with at least 48 tiny, recessed, Phillips screws? Cause they are.  And nothing sucks worse that a shitty drill. This is mine, and I do love it oh so much.
• An exercise ball.  These things are great for two reasons…babies love to bounce and your back is going to be screwed.  Bouncing is a soother…babies like to be reminded of the womb, and believe it or not, it was pretty bouncy in there.  Imagine floating in a pool, tethered to the top, while someone jostles the pool all day.  You get the picture.  Your back is going to be hurting due to all the dropped binkys, unrestful nights of sleep and baby carrying, not to mention the ten extra pounds you’ll gain. The ball builds core strength, and you’re gonna need it.
• Baby Bjorn carrier. I know she’ll outgrow this quickly, and I’m sure attachment parents everywhere will think less of me for not using some complicated, woven, organic hemp sling. But the fact is, this thing works well for small babies, looks OK on me, and is easy to use.  I love it, and she does too.
• Baby Bjorn Baby Sitter. My favorite thing about the Baby Sitter? No batteries.  She bounces herself in it a little, but it gets most of it’s motion from my big toe.  There are times when I can get her calm in this contraption and actually use two hands for stuff.  That is a victory in my book.  It also folds quite flat and travels well.
• Mam Paci’s. I don’t know why she likes these, but she does.  I like the fact that they have no handle, so I can hold her tight into my chest while she’s sucking.
• iPhone.  I can’t say enough about it.  I can’t imagine living without it, much less parenting. It’s a portable speaker, packed with Beatles, Jerry and Boards Of Canada for her.  It’s the answer to a question in a flash, where ever I am (See “The Internet”, above).  It’s the sound of grandma’s voice when she’s far away.  It’s entertainment for me when Tori has to nurse at a Macy’s. I timed contractions with it, post photos to Facebook, count wet/dirty diapers, take voice notes when I’m sleep deprived…the list goes on.  You should get one free if you have a child. But you don’t, so pony up those three Benjamins.

• Piper is totally sick of sleeping in the bassinet/playpen thing for more than a half second.  She now spends nights with us in bed, nestled in a sleep positioner.  I love spending the extra bit of time with her in the mornings! She also sleeps longer and calmer between us.
• This week has marked the beginning of a new era…she can now be quite content just laying on her back and watching stuff.  Especially if the stuff in question is her crib mobile, AKA Piper’s very Best Friends In The Whole World.  While Mr. Bee makes great conversation and Ms. ladybug has seen the world, she really prefers talking with Mr. Caterpiller.  That guy rocks.
• Physically, she’s continuing to fill out a bit and taking on a more feminine facial shape.  In my opinion, anyway.

In the past week, she has had her first:

• Wedding
• Road Trip
• Cloth Diaper (more on that another day…)

I’ll try to blog more soon, but don’t forget where you are, buddy!

But you’re not on facebook?  Or you dispise me, but adore my child?  Well, have I got some links for you…

2009.09.12 uploads

2009.09.11 uploads

iPhone uploads

2009.09.05 uploads

…30 weeks of heartburn…

…36 weeks of guessing…

…and countless hours of preperation…

…I’d like you all to meet my daughter Piper!

http://www.mountcarmelhealth.com/hospitals-facilities/mount-carmel-st.anns/

http://www.mountcarmelhealth.com/patients-visitors/maternity-tours/

After reading so many contemporary books about the labor process and HOW MUCH GIVING BIRTH IN A HOSPITAL IS BAD BAD BAD FOR MOM AND BABY I was pleasantly surprised to find a progressive, woman-focused maternity center.  While we’re not necessarily focused on having a “natural” (read: drug free) birth, the maternity pavilion at St. Ann’s is incredibly receptive and supportive of the idea.  The labor rooms (especially the ones with tubs) are big and seem focused on making the process as comfortable for mom AND dad as possible.  Most equipment is hidden in furniture, and lighting is soft and calming.  The books (and to a lesserdegree, our birth classes at CHOICE) really make you think that you will have to fight to keep the baby near us after labor, at St. Ann’s the protocol is kangaroo care.  We wrote our birth plan not knowing what to expect, and almost everything we requested is standad at the hospital!

Oh, and there’s a Tim Hortons in the lobby.  Flippin’ sweet.

It was a reassuring and comforting tour, and even though I looked everywhere, I couldn’t find this: