{31 for 21} Runner.

I like running.  I really, really like running.

I'm running a 5K in a few weeks.  Ellie is doing the 1K kids race.  She asked if we could go running after school to "practice running for the kids race!"  Her teacher asked me about it - despite a downpour, Ellie had confidently announced her plans to go running after school.

So we ran.

{31 for 21} DNF and Small Talk.

I helped run a 5K today.

I didn't physically run the race, but I helped organize it, meaning I stood on a stage with a microphone and gave race reminders and MC'd awards and high fived kids.

At our 5K, we had a 1K Kids Fun Run.

Matt got Ellie all signed up.

And Ellie was not interested.

She ran maybe 200 feet and then decided to play with friends instead.

She ran the rest of the afternoon.

As an adult, I don't want to DNF (receive a time of "Did Not Finish.")  I don't want to publicly drop out of a race.  This may or may not have led to a hamstring injury a few years ago.  Ellie had no reason not to run, but she didn't feel like running.

I laughed.

But part of me wanted her to tough it out and race.

Except for one little problem…. that's not what Ellie wanted.  She wanted to run and then laugh.  She spent all morning running.  She befriended dogs.  She had a great time independently playing at the finish area.

Ellie isn't super competitive, and aside from her gymnastics skills (which are largely due to her flexibility), she isn't particularly athletic.

And that's fine.

As I was pondering this, I picked up a copy of a book I recently received, Small Talk by Amy Julia Becker.  She writes about what she's learned from her three kids, the oldest of whom has Down syndrome.  Although the book isn't about Down syndrome, Amy Julia writes about her daughter  Penny, and Down syndrome plays into Penny's story.  She talks about how Penny sees victory is listening and hitting the ball occasionally in tennis class, even if all the other kids are more talented athletes.

The book is full of little nuggets of wisdom and is easy to pick up and flip through.  True confession: I'm posting about it before I'm done.  I originally planned to read the whole book and write a full blog post on the topic next week.  Instead, expect snippets about Small Talk as I pick it up and ponder what Ellie (and other kids) teach me about faith.

Growing Up.

No, not Ellie.

Me!

I ran a slow marathon today.  It was number 15.

My training was spotty with National Boards and a rough winter, the weather was warm, allergies were in full effect, and I simply couldn't stay hydrated enough.  Some days are just off.

And it only took me 15 marathons to be okay with that.

I'm excited to more fully follow a plan this summer - I had an amazing plan in hand, and ended up injured from a pair of defective shoes and simply too overwhelmed to follow the plan.  Time to try again!

It's Been Awhile.

I've been a blog slacker.

We came home from Florida and had an awesome Easter.

I then spent a week throwing myself into studying all sorts of aspects of Exceptional Needs Education for my National Boards.

I sat for the three hour, six essay, one 15 minute break, make your wrists hurt from typing exam on Saturday.

Although I won't get my results (of both the written assessment and my portfolio) until November (or even December!) the learning process has been worthwhile.  But I really hope I pass.

Saturday afternoon, some friends came over.  Yesterday after church, Ellie and I spent a couple hours at the park.

I am running a marathon on Sunday.  I had wonderful coaching but I couldn't complete all of my training runs due to the commitment the National Boards required.  I'm just going to give it everything I've got.

I have a 7:30 am IEP meeting on Monday morning, RIGHT after the marathon.  Thinking about it makes me want to fall asleep!

As exhausted as I am, this video made my day.

My kid.  Worst form ever, but adorable.

Born to Run.

Nothing screams "perfect 5K weather" like rain and wind and cold, right?

Despite the conditions (which have since deteriorated and now ice is falling from the sky), my family participated in the new Race 4 Respect in DC this morning, a race that benefits local Down syndrome groups.

We had a blast.

While I ran the 5K, Matt, Ellie, and some dear friends (one of whom has been helping me out with a bit of marathon coaching) hung out in a bakery, so Ellie and their twin toddler girls could carbo-load for their 1K race.

I had a great race, given that I'm training for a marathon, not 5K, and I ran hard yesterday.  I ended up as third overall female, so I was pretty excited with my 23:00.

As the weather worsened, I assume the race directors cut the kids race down to closer to a quarter mile, which was a good call.  The effort of trudging alone with lots of soaked layers was probably equal to 1K effort, and the girls loved it.

I should mention that the three kids with us were the youngest in the race, and toward the back, and received lots of cheers.  They were so proud.

Huge thanks to Bethany at Simple Charm Photography for sharing these photos with me and giving me permission to share.

Ellie was a little soggy after the race.

And a few taken with my wet iPhone, which I was scared to get out despite the Lifeproof case…. because a certain three year old ripped the case.  No joke.

The race was well organized, the volunteers were friendly, and a number of the volunteers were people with Down syndrome.  Finishes received dog-tags and participants received tech shirts.  My big complaint was the weather.  Oh, and I missed the mile #2 marker, probably because my hat blew off, someone behind me handed it to me (while passing me… grr), and I spent a bit of time attempting to put the hat back on my head while still moving at a decent pace in high winds!

We'll be back next year, and hoping for less rain!

Ellie managed to wake up from her post-race nap in time for gymnastics.  It's been a good day.

Runners.

We made cookies yesterday.

I guess I should bake more, because Ellie confused kitchen tools with running tools.

A Girl at the Ballet. (Plus Gingerbread and Running)

The Christmas I was pregnant with Ellie, I could hardly let myself dream of a little girl who would love things like ballet.  I knew that she would be a little girl, but how soon could my baby with Down syndrome attend "The Nutcracker" or engage in my favorite holiday activities?

I love watching "The Nutcracker" and have since I was little.  I love holiday traditions, from seeing the trains at the botanical gardens to building gingerbread houses with my dear friend Christina.

Which we did last night, and while we built houses, we joked about how we thought Ellie would handle the ballet.

Ellie loved Christmas from her very first one, but this year is special.

Despite my reservations, I took my girl to see her first ballet today.  It was just a community performance, but she got dressed up and we we together and sat in big seats and watched as Clara entered the Kingdom of Sweets.  Ellie's behavior was as good as could be expected for any two year old.

I know, more phone photos.
 If we get the promised snow tomorrow,
my camera will make an appearance.

Occasionally her running commentary got a bit loud:
"Pwincess dancin'."
"Yay nutcwacker!"
"A twee!"
"Stars!  Uno, dos, twes, cuatro, cinco stars." (There were a lot more than five.)

She didn't like the dark between scenes, but otherwise was enthralled.  Oh, and while the snowflakes danced, Ellie took a five minute doze.

This weekend is good.  As I mentioned, Christina and I built our annual gingerbread house last night.

This morning, I got to run a 5K along with the elementary age students I coach.  After we all said our goodbyes and the coaches treated ourselves to Starbucks, I walked by the awards ceremony.  I was 12th female and the women ahead of me mostly looked like 30-somethings, so I correctly guessed that I didn't place.  (Plus, I ran 24:30, which isn't exactly stellar for age group awards.  And I didn't warm up. And I almost lost my antlers.  I was the picture of hard core running, let me tell you.  Oh, and my fuel belt made my shirt ride up and show my belly in the 30 degree chill.)

I wore the antlers and T-shirt to work on Friday.

But… TWO of our girls won awards, and they don't know it yet!  Passing out their medals will make Monday a more acceptable Monday, since no one likes Mondays.

Oh, and the race was super fun.

Who is More Stubborn?

We all know that Ellie has been stubborn since before she was born.  (If you don't know this, you can go read the archives about how my "preemie" was a day late.)

After repeating the phrase, "Where the heck does she get it?" over and over again for the last two years and two months and one day, I think I have the answer.

Mama.

I've been fairly determined to break four hours in the marathon.  

Today, I ran my fourteenth marathon.

I finally broke four hours, which means that I may be as stubborn as Ellie.

Also, a big public "thank you" to my awesome husband who has dealt with my early morning runs with grace.

Ellie only attends races for the bagels, but since she's a good encourager, we let her hang out.

"Ellie, smile at Daddy!" "No. Bagel."

On Marathons.

On Saturday, I ran 22 miles.

It's the longest training run I do, and I was out on that over-three-hour-long-run this weekend in preparation for a marathon which will be held in a few weeks.  The marathon is a small, local one, but involves the same amount of training as a big one.

Except for one.

Boston.

Boston requires more, because first, you have to qualify.  I've run 13 marathons.  I've never qualified.  Realistically, I will not qualify in a few weeks.  I may never qualify, but if I do, you better believe I'll do whatever I can to be on that starting line one Monday in April.

My heart is absolutely broken.  People who trained, who cheered, who gave out medals, who held signs..... Bombed?

I don't have any great words.

This article struck a chord, though.

My prayers go out for Boston and for the running community as a whole.

Thankful to BE.

Note: This post is not about Down syndrome, Ellie, toddlerhood, or any of the things you usually read about.  It's just about me and a weekend away.

This weekend, I got away for a bit.

I need to start by saying that my friend Christina is amazing.  I've posted about her before, or just go check out her own blog, right here.

Did you make it back from Christina's blog?  Good.

On Friday after work, I picked up my dear friend Christina and we road tripped our way a few hours southwest to the sweet little college town of Charlottesville, VA.

We had a little hotel mishap, wherein we were given a smoking room, although I'm fairly certain when I made the reservation online there was no option, and Christina is allergic to smoke, but hey, friends in the area have a futon, and Christina crashed there, which is another story, and let's just say I have the best friend ever.

Anyway, picked up the race number, wandered the cute little pedestrian mall area, and in the morning, it was off to the races.  Or race.

The race was super, and one of the hardest courses I've ever run, but there were a lot of complaints in the early miles that the markers were off.  If they were on, my first mile was four minutes faster than my second, and while I slowed a bit, I know I didn't slow down that much.  Plus, even with extra distance for not running tangents and going around people, the GPS units of everyone around me were off by 0.4 miles, which is a lot for early in the race.

I'd give the race four stars for beauty, four stars for difficult hills, and zero stars for course markings.

I had a good race, but not a great time on those hills.  I missed age group awards by one minute, and one place, although I'll be honest and share that my age group isn't a huge demographic in a college town.

After the race, I met up with Christina and a friend of hers, and we wandered the farmer's market, ate pastries and drank tea, and browsed Charlottesville.

Thanks, Kimmie, for being a great tour guide!

"There is no wrong weather for coffee." Amen.

Independent bookstore bags.  I should frame one in my classroom.

After that, it was off to get cleaned up and explore a bit of the outlying areas, including a bookstore, a coffee shop, and a winery.

Time to be.

My friend Cara writes a blog about being.

As Christina and I sat in a coffeehouse, surrounded by fun little details, enjoying excellent service, munching on great little pastries, we talked about time to be, to get away, to relax.

King Family Winery was fantastic with lots of space to walk, sit, picnic, and relax outside.

Much of our conversation over the weekend was about connection, and how we pursue connections within our community.

So here's my takeaway for you.

Go call a friend.  Or email.  Or text.  But find a way to go be with someone who is important in your life.

Happy Belated Thanksgiving!

For Thanksgiving, I'm sharing Matt's mom's corn recipe with you.  There are two reasons I'm sharing.  First, you might still be looking for an easy side dish for Christmas, since I'm posting this after Thanksgiving is over.  Second, I'm addicted to Pinterest and I want to save this recipe there.  My current method of looking up the recipe is to search my email before holidays, which is a pain on my phone.  I'd rather have it saved on my "Food" board.

Pinterest confession over, here's Matt's favorite Thanksgiving/Christmas side dish.  Sorry, I don't have any pictures of the corn.  I actually didn't get out my real camera all day, because I was busy cooking, corralling kiddos, and enjoying a house full of friends.

We did our local Turkey Trot.  Matt pushed the stroller.  I  took it easy.  I was 19th in my age group; the race was very walker-heavy!

Another shot of Ellie and I to show off her kicks.  And so you can see how many layers she wore.

The only food photo I took all day.  Yum.

Baked Corn

You'll need:
1 15/16 oz. can of cream style corn
1 cup milk
1 egg, well-beaten
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup plus 1/2 cup cracker crumbs (Ritz-style works well)

Ready?  It's easy.
1. In a saucepan, heat corn and milk.  
2. Wisk in the egg.
3. Wisk in the salt/pepper, 1/2 cup cracker crumbs.
4. Put mixture in greased baking dish. (Choose a smallish one, you want a thicker layer of corn.)
5. Top with the other cup of cracker crumbs.
6. Bake at 350 for one hour.  


Finally, I'm thankful for Ellie's new shoes.  Here's an Instagram photo:

No, this post is not sponsored by New Balance, but I think they should consider sponsoring blogs about toddlers with very short and very wide feet.  Ellie is now rocking a size 3, double wide.  She should really be wearing a 2, double wide, but that isn't in the New Balance line.

If you know any reps, have them call me!

I hope each of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving, that you enjoyed for family and friends, and that you feel blessed as we kick off the holiday season.  I am excited to decorate for Christmas, get out our Elf on the Shelf, and make red and green cake pops, but I'm also excited for Lessons and Carols at church, advent, and some times of stillness... or as still as one can be with Ellie around!

{31 for 21} Ouch.

Tip: If you want to run a 3:50 marathon, as I was on track to do Sunday, do not pull a hamstring at mile 17.  It's bad for your hamstring, marathon time, and ego, especially if your splits are being posted on Facebook.

Also, while nine miles doesn't feel far to me these days, nine miles of limping is really, really, really far.

However, for your entertainment, a few signs that made me laugh.

* Paul Ryan would be done by now. (Not a political joke.  Paul Ryan is mocked a lot as a runner, because who forgets their marathon time?  Unacceptable.)
* Smile if you're chafing.
* Screw the bridge, beat Sandy!  (To stay in the Marine Corps Marathon, you have to "beat the bridge" by maintaining a 14 minute/mile pace until the bridge at mile 19-20ish.)
* I can hear you farting.

Now, you know that I'm totally mature.

NOTE: This is set to automatically post.  Hurricane Sandy is set to pound our area.  I'm doubting that we'll have things like power for a few days, so I may become a 31 for 21 slacker.

{31 for 21} We Interrupt This Programming.

I've been training for a marathon.

I've been training amazingly hard.

I run at five o'clock in the morning.

The marathon is Sunday, which is the same day we might have a little visitor called "Hurricane Sandy," also known as "Frankenstorm."

The hurricane isn't supposed to arrive until the end of Sunday, which means race day will only feature possible rain and wind.

I woke up to this weather report.

This post is not about Down syndrome.  I have a post about Down syndrome and running here.  Today's post is simply me freaking out.  I do not want to run in a hurricane.  I want school to go as planned next week, because I'm excited about the upcoming lessons and our Halloween parade.

Since I'm just whining, I'll send you to a few of my favorite posts about Down syndrome written by other, less-selfishly-weather-focused bloggers.

From Pudge and Biggs, "Time for New Lenses."
From John Franklin Stevens, "An Open Letter to Ann Coulter."
From Confessions of the Chromosomally Enhanced, "A First Hand Perspective."

You might want to print those posts out, ya know, to read during a hurricane if you lose power...

Catching Up.

Tomorrow marks my return to work.  This return is something to appreciate, as I wasn't sure with Ellie's health if I'd be back working at all this year.  The great news is that I'm back, I'll be close to home, and we have childcare worked out.

I'm trying to catch up on everything under the sun before I go back.  I have dinners frozen so that I can spend more time with Ellie when I get home.  I'm excited and nervous, as I think any mom returning to work knows.

Following our beach trip, we've had a week of soaking up summer fun, enjoying less humid weather, organizing the house, and concluding everything, today I ran a 20 kilometer race that went... eh, not great.  Not bad, but not great.  The first eight miles featured six miles of uphill, and my legs felt like jello by the time I headed down.

Sometimes, you just have to do the best you can with the day you have.  My race should have been awesome.  The weather was wonderful, I'm in shape to run well.  But it didn't happen.

After a shower and a nap, I'm feeling better.  I want to get out and enjoy the last day before work, but rain is falling so I'm taking a moment to relax while Matt and Ellie run errands.  With Ellie's first heart day coming up, and as she nears the 18 month mark, I find myself thinking back.  I'm so grateful for what Ellie is able to do, even when I'm sad she's not walking yet.  I've been in a place of really being able to appreciate who Ellie and everything that makes her unique.  She is hardworking, slightly naughty, funny, sweet, and determined.  She'll walk when she's good and ready, and she'll do it her way.

Note the chalk on Ellie's lip!

On Running with Ellie.

If you know me, you probably are aware that I like to run.  I like to run a lot.  Often, this means either waking up at 5 am (Ellie is my helper with that) or running with Ellie.  Even when I'm not with Ellie, I find myself failing to use my arm-swing and resembling a t-rex, with my arms at stroller handle height.  I also tend to keep up a narrative, even when Ellie isn't with me, out of habit.  "Look, a red bus.  Hello, doggie.  Hear the birdies?  See the red bird?  Look, a green bus.  Hello, firetruck."

Today, I did a six mile run in preparation for the Marine Corps Marathon in the fall, followed by strides, all with Ellie in the stroller.  I opted against "cross-field" strides with a stroller, because I think the local high schools like their nice turf fields, and I didn't want to ruin one.  Instead, I ran around an asphalt loop at our community center after my run, and noticed Ellie looking longingly at the kids playing on the playground.

I can't blame her.  She was in a stroller for over an hour while the other kids played.

After my strides, I brought her over to the swings, fully aware that I had 15 minutes worth of drills left to do.  And inspiration struck.

Drills while Ellie swings.

Lunge forward with each push, lunges were done.

High knees and butt kickers after a big push while the swing slowed down.

Added bonus: Ellie looking at me and laughing.  I guess my form could use improvement.

Biggest added bonus: This face.

Instagram: @meganlando

After we got cleaned up, we hit the pool, and Ellie decided to do a little pool walking with a much better attitude than yesterday.  She's currently napping in the middle of the living room floor after lunch, sprawled out on her towel.

The pool may be the key to summertime naps.  Happy Monday.

PS. The winner of the Free Music Giveaway is... DLW, who wrote "Let's see... first concert ever was Debbie Gibson! Many New Kids on the Block, Dave Matthews Band concerts, I have seen James Taylor, Radiohead, Roc the Mic (which included Busta Rhymes, Missy Elliot, Jay-Z, Fabulous and 50 Cent) and I am sure there are many others I am forgetting. I love all types of music and are always looking for some new tunes. You have my email so if I am a winner you know how to get a hold of me :) Love you!"

A Full Day.

Today we did a lot.

Here's a few of the highlights from our morning.

The recap:  I had a 10K race in Georgetown this morning, and ran a PR of 46:45.  I felt awful, but I ran the time I wanted.  This was the first 10K I've ever run with finishers medals, and the first race I've ever run where I received "lip balm on a string" as a goodie bag item.  Ellie spent most of her pre-race warmup time spinning the chapstick.

Post-race, we went out for bagels and then I took a nap.  And went to the grocery store.  And we all went to the pool.  We saw some friends, we made some new friends, we swam in the big pool, we "walked" in the baby pool.  And Ellie and I stayed there for two hours.  And then we came home.  And then Ellie "helped" me put together a few Pinterest inspired meals for this week.  I'm trying really hard to be organized and do some cooking over the weekend each week.

Then Ellie took a nap in the living room.  Busy days wear this kid out!

She woke up, we ate a little dinner, and went to the park.

Just swingin'.

My favorite Ellie face, the big smile.

And now, Ellie is back asleep on the living room floor, because cribs are boring.  How was your Saturday?

Friends, Running, and Giving.

Before I share any current events in our own lives, two links you should check out: 

My friend Kelly (Charlotte's mama) wrote an amazing post for her own birthday about one of Charlotte's friends in the baby house.  You can read it here.

Some of you may remember some posts about Lina, who was waiting to be adopted.  She's home!


Onto our weekend...

Sunday morning, Matt ran a 10 mile race.  He did a great job.

We weren't sure how timing would work out with the banquet, but Ellie and I decided on Sunday morning that we'd go watch Matt.  Just like every other time Ellie's come to cheer one of us on, the weather was freezing.

Except for the Four on the Fourth when Ellie was four months old.  That was disgustingly hot and humid.  I hope she doesn't hate running because we keep dragging her to these things.

Of course, being a responsible parent, I brought a warm blanket for Ellie, who repeatedly threw her blanket off, onto the wet ground.  Needless to say, the blanket wound up under the stroller, because wet blankets are... well, I get where the phrase "don't be a wet blanket" comes from.

We grabbed coffee.  The line at Starbucks was out the door, but the other, really good coffeehouse across the street had no line.  I carried the stroller up the three stairs to get my coffee, and I carried the stroller back down.  In both cases, young guys were very gentlemanly and tried to help, but arrived after Ellie was already up/down the stairs.

Just so you know, steering an umbrella stroller one-handed while drinking coffee, attempting to cheer for your husband and all the other runners, and entertain a baby requires a lot of skill.  I don't have that much skill.  (That's also the reason there's no photos from the race.)

Fortunately, Matt ran a good race, so I could get Ellie home and dried off and warmed up before the Young Life Capernaum banquet.

Another race highlight from Matt.  If you run, you know that the pre-race port-a-potty lines are a nightmare that all runners simply endure.  At this race, chalk lines indicated where runners were to line up.  Apparently, the lines were being ignored until a woman with a bullhorn started directing people to the lines.

Because my husband was obedient in the port-a-potty line, he was given an orange T-shirt emblazoned with the words "Need to Pee?  FOLLOW ME!"

Yep.  That's my transition.  Onto the banquet.

The mission of Capernaum means the world to me.  Mike Ashburn spoke, and he kept repeating that our message is Jesus and our method is friendship.  What a beautiful thing for all kids, but especially kids who might not have as much access to friendships because of barriers physical or emotional or cognitive needs can present. The banquet demonstrated the beauty of the ministry beautifully, but my personal favorite moment was unscripted.

When you teach special education, you learn to be wary of the rhetorical question.  When Ash asked, "Do you believe it?" one young woman proclaimed "YES!"  I'm lucky to know this girl and her family, and I was so appreciative of her faith and her total honesty. 

The goal was to raise $50,000.  We were close.  If you want to help us reach that goal, you can click here.  And if you don't live around here, but want to get involved in your local area's Capernaum ministry, email me.  I'll figure out who you need contact.

I'll be back tomorrow with Ellie photos, and since today is speech therapy, I'm sure to have some good Ellie stories as well.

Weekend Wrap-Up and Race Report.

Saturday morning kicked off at 4:15 am with a grumpy baby who now has a visible second tooth.

After that delightful wake-up call, we headed off to my race, which was a four miler.  The four mile distance is awesome, largely because I'd only raced it two other times, upping my chance for a PR.  Once, I ran with Matt's brothers back when we were engaged.  I placed in my age group.  (Oh, there were only about 10 people in my division.  But still, I placed.)  The second four miler was on Ellie's four month birthday. 

Yesterday, I ran a personal best and the dumbest race of my life.  The race started downhill.  I flew through that first mile, and ran the last mile a solid minute and twenty seconds slower than the first.  Whoops.  I ran 30:47, and was served Guinness at the finish line.

The weird thing about these short (less than 10 mile) races is that afterward, the day is still young.  We went out to breakfast and were still in the car by 11 am.  I also encountered a man in head to toe (including over the face) spandex.  His spandex suit was green with shamrocks.  I think I was one of three or four people not racing in green, shamrock-themed running attire.  I planned to at least wear a hat with a shamrock logo, but I couldn't find it.

Today, Ellie slept in until 5:15 thanks to the start of Daylight Savings Time.  I've always been told that babies sleep in for "spring ahead," but I think Ellie missed the memo.  We did have some lovely spring-like swing weather, however. 

After a birthday celebration for a friend, we decided to let Ellie try her new wagon.

She wasn't a fan.  The photos are the aftermath. 

Hope you all had happy, springy, swingy weekends!

"Small Things with Great Love."

There's a quote from Mother Teresa I've seen often.  "We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love."

I can't change the situation for children with Down syndrome in Eastern Europe.

I can't save them.  I can't go pull them out of orphanages or institutions and bring them home. 

But I can tell you about one.  And I can tell you about the need for funds and awareness.  And we can all give just a little bit of money, with a whole lot of love.

And Charlotte can come home.

The other morning, Kelly told me that they were $29.04 away from full funding.  Someone I love very much said she wouldn't let that amount stand in the way.  And now, Kyle and Kelly are fully funded.

On March 24, they bring their little girl home.  I hope to be at the airport.  The following day will mark one year since our own little girl came home from the NICU.

Tomorrow will mark six months since open heart surgery.

We are in a better place than we could have expected.  We are celebrating a little girl who is about to turn one.  As I write this, she is feeding herself leftover meatballs.  She is crawling and pulling to a stand.  I know she won't be walking or speaking her first words in the next two weeks.  And that is completely okay, because I know Ellie.  In fact, she is a small thing with great love.

The DC area is experiencing a little taste of spring today, with warmer weather and rain.  Ellie and I logged five miles with the BOB this morning, and she was an angel. We've been busy crafting and party planning, but we took a break to hit the swings before the storm arrived.

("These steps have holes.  Weird.")

("I showed you my tooth last time.  No more!")

Enjoy your Friday.

(Idea taken from Kelle.  I'm "meganlando" on Instagram.  And the best phone dump ever is right here.)

PS. Any additional funds left in Charlotte's grant after she's home will be given to another waiting child.  And if you're looking for another amazing adoption story to follow, check this one out.

Two Great Loves: Running and Down Syndrome.

Fact: If you are one of those people who has said, "I could never run a marathon," you need to read this post.

When I was pregnant with Ellie, I was directed to Missy's list of Things To Do Instead of Worry.  One of those things was "Google your favorite hobby + Down syndrome."

"Down+syndrome+marathon" led me here.  I was overjoyed to learn about a man with Down syndrome running 26.2 miles, but what about the women?  I said that I wanted an example for my daughter, but I know I really wanted an example for me.  I wanted to know that my baby, even with her extra chromosome and her repaired heart, could participate in my favorite sport someday.  (If she wants to.  But of course Ellie wants to be a runner, right?)

(I think it's obvious that Ellie wants to run.)

When Blair Williamson posted something about a woman with Down syndrome training for a marathon on his Facebook page, I jumped for joy, then got in touch with him.  I learned that two women with Down syndrome are currently training for the LA Marathon on March 18.

Meet Antoinette Mendoza, 43.  Meet Angela Armenta, 25.   I named them "Team Awesome."

(Photos via Crowdrise, with permission.)

These women already finished the Rose Bowl Half Marathon.  Check out the video here.

On Saturday night, I was honored to speak with Antoinette and Angela, and their coach, Jennifer, along with some of Angela's wonderfully supportive family members.  I was grinning the entire time, because the conversation was such a great example of "more alike than different."  They are running as a fundraiser, like many other first-time marathoners.

Angela and Antoinette are learning about nutrition, running intervals, and talked about feeling proud, tired, and receiving their beautiful medals.  We laughed about listening to the coach, walk breaks, and tired feet.  Angela and Antoinette train with the ARC, an organization that serves people with developmental disabilities.  The ARC's marathon training program began when one of the adults with disabilities expressed an interest in running.  The rest is history in the making.

Angela came into the marathon training thanks to a conversation between her brother and Jennifer.  Jennifer shared that no woman with Down syndrome had run a marathon.  Angela's brother talked to her, and she'll toe the line on March 18.  Angela's mom shared with me that she initially was concerned for Angela, who was born with a hole in her heart that closed when she was five.  The cardiologist cleared her for the marathon.

Antoinette has two friends from the ARC who have run five marathons between them.  She wanted to join the fun.  She ran her half marathon in 3:18.  Just for fun, I threw that time into an age-grade calculator.  Thirty-five percent, not too shabby for "low tone" and "decreased metabolism," two oft-cited traits of people with Down syndrome.

According to Jennifer, who is training the ARC group, these women are training hard, achieving dreams, and bringing hope to the community.  They've provided support at other races, passing out water and Gatorade, and by doing such, are becoming a real part of the running community. Additionally, exercise is important for cognition in adults with Down syndrome (and in all adults!) and I can't think of any better exercise.  Note: I may be biased.

Ellie certainly is inspired and ready to run.  Angela and Antoinette, thank you for setting an example for my daughter and for runners everywhere.

("Angela and Antoinette, let's race!")

SoCal runners - if you want to join Team ARC in the LA Marathon, or if you have any extra watches, running store gift cards, sweet shoes, etc. laying around you'd like to give to Angela and Antoinette, shoot Jennifer an email. 

P.S. Have you checked out Ellie's birthday wish yet?


**Sharing this again in August 2012 at With A Little Moxie**