It's that time again: MS150!

Time to beg for donations!

Each year we think we'll get a head start on fundraising. And we never really do.

Once again, time to buckle down. I think the minimum to raise required is $400. So come on friends, let's get to it! I don't ask for much through the year so step it up! :)

April 21-22 is the 180 mile (or so) bike ride from Houston to Austin. The money goes for a good cause, and not just for overhead. I forget the actual breakdown but I was soooo surprised they can pull off an event like this while most of the money going right to the cause for MS. It's abuot sponsorship from big companies.

So whatever we little people pay can go to the real place it's needed: Multiple Sclerosis research and resources for those who have it.

Here's my web page to donate. Remember, whatever you give comes back to you...
http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Bike/TXHBikeEvents?px=2420180&pg=personal&fr_id=17896

Anna's 5 year stats

Anna had her 5 year well child check up today. They'd told me on the phone there would be no shots and so I'd promised Anna, with the caveat of it they were wrong, we just wouldn't do it today. We'd talk about it and come back in later. What's the real harm? It just needs to be done before kindergarten. So when we got there it turns out she needed a chicken pox booster! I gave her the chance to take it, explained the GOD AWFUL details of what chicken pox is, and Paul even showed her a picture on his phone. But she didn't bite. I held my end of the bargain and said we'd come back to do it when she's ready, especially since we'll be on a cruise in the Gulf starting Sunday and God knows we don't need a vaccine reaction clouding things up. I told her when she comes back for the shot, I'd give her anything she wanted. Her first demand was to get her ears pierced. When I explained that hurt way more than a shot, and in both ears, she said she'd wanted a baby doll. THAT'S IT? Oh, and candy. Ooookkkkkk....baby needs to learn how to negotiate.

So when we do this, I have to take her to get a new baby doll and candy. And not just one piece of candy, she says.

She did get a hearing assessment and 6 stickers for her trouble. They're giving SIX stickers and not even a shot? Sheesh.

Baby is 45 lbs and 44 inches tall. That's 75th percentile for weight and 90th percentile for height! We are loving on her height! SUHWEET! Love it, love it! The bonus is always that she gets to ride the big rides :)

In the next room a baby was screaming his head off. Yeah, good times for them. I'm always reminded in those rooms of how that was me and I was wishing ahead to year 5, where we are now.

It's the same realization that hits you when you realize no matter what, time NEVER stops for you (if you buy into the idea that time is linear). Time will keep on going and you're going through with this no matter what. It's the thought I get in the exam room at 5 years old, it's the thought I had as I was about to start pushing her into this world, it's the thought I had at the briefing desk 2 minutes before that press briefing yesterday, and it's the thought I bet most astronauts get as they're strapped in, about ready for GO time.

Hello FIVE.

Noooo, not AT ALL Nervous

I've done lots of interview since I've been in the ISS Program Science office the past 3 years. But this one was an actual Press Briefing, which has always been my chief's job. This time, she had a schedule conflict and so I stepped up! This was the Expedition 32/33 Operations and Science briefing, given by ISS Program Manager Micke Suffredini, Flight Director Dina Contella, and the science overview by er...well, ME. It was live TV on NASA TV (OK it's not Comedy Central but it's still live TV). It was in the middle of a near monsoon weather, and it was a little bit intimidating. It took me wayyyy too many hours to prepare for this simple briefing! Although being well-prepared is the key to less nerves, I was over-prepared and so lesson learned for next time. As it turns out, there will be a next time as JR and I rotate through these briefings that I hear will become more and more frequent (every 3 months is the plan I'm told).

For me, I think the key next time will be to read less and look into the camera more. I really didn't realize how much I was actually reading until I saw it on TV last night! Glad I watched, because normally I don't, because I can improve there. But otherwise I'm feeling fine about how it went. Although it did drain me completely for the rest of the day :)

In other news I have my own Wikipedia entry. For REAL? I was wondering who cares enough about me to have spent the time writing this entry? From what I can tell it was written by someone who tracks the aquanaut stuff, like from when I was a NEEMO aquanaut wayyyy back in 2004. The entry is actually very nice! I should have hired that guy to write my astronaut application :) Anyway, my coworker pointed it out to me after, as the new guys, was looking into some stuff about me. I was at first shocked by all of the detail, but between all the bios of the public stuff I do out there and the Grocery Station stuff too, I realize it's mostly all public knowledge. Anyway, ta-da!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tara_Ruttley

Complete sweetness

The party

Dear Anna,
Now that the princess party's over can we move on to space and/or dinosaurs?








Getting ready...




Paul's quickest attempt at the birthday cake. Just ran out of time and was still frosting it 5 min before party start. Not what we envisioned but still not bad!
































I've almost never seen the child so exhausted! Most friends left a party end but E and M stayed into the evening for a round 2 party with TJ's in-laws in town. So the party lasted technically 9 hours for her! At one point she came over and told me she was ready for bed but quickly changed her mind!

A highlight of the party was Her friend L, who is 4 and can make balloon animals!!! Wow had I known in advance we could have saved money on the Ariel entertainer :) Then L's dad started teaching all the other parents how to make some! I really liked the parents who came.

I am hungover from the crap I ate all day. Wonder how she'll be feeling on wake up? :)

She had a super fun time with 6 little girl friends :). Yay!! On to a peaceful spring break week where she's still in school and we are at work but in all cases it will be a slower week than usual.

Birthday Bed Time

I get a text from Paul who is up in Anna's bed for bedtime...

She's 5, Baby!

Loving her first day of 5. She's the best, and had a really great day. I want to post more every night but between everything I have nothing left at the end of the day! All is good!
Happy birthday my sweetie. We love all of your pink and purple sparkles and sugar and spice and rainbows and toots. You're starting to come out of your shell to strangers and love your girlie friends. Today mommy and daddy woke you up with the Happy Birthday song and flowers and a new birthday dress and lots of girlie little gifts like perfume, lip gloss that has a peace sign flash light attached, body glitter spray for little girls, a lolly pop, finger nail polish that is magnetized, a little stuffed bunny, and yummy smelling lotion and new hair clips! You got dressed all pretty, then we went to pick up cupcakes for your class (peace signs, your name, and one with a 5 on it, which you ate!), and your class sang happy birthday to you! You were happy now that you're 5 like everyone else in the class (yours is the last birthday) and even got to share your birthday with your favorite teacher Ms A. You got to be the line leader all day and mommy came to eat lunch with you at school. You got to wear the birthday hat today and Ms U have you a sweet gift of a link puppy and a magic light up wand and a my little pony! After school we went to the Olive Garden (your fave) and they sang you happy birthday with a candle In your dessert! You loved that (and actually asked for it :) ). Then we raced back to school for your Rodeo program where you all sang songs you've been practicing. You totally loved that and then had cake with your friends! You had a pink cowgirl hat with a flashing lights and a tiara design on it. I wore one to match. Mommy and daddy were the only dorks with hats on in the parents audience! We came home to gifts and cards in the mail and voicemails saying happy birthday for you, which you loved! You had a great day with us and your friends! What an awesome birthday. Now you've asked for a princess party (God forbid) and so on Saturday a where from 6-12 little girlies will be at our house for your party in their princess dresses. We have a bouncy house for the back yard but it looks like rain so we had to call in a back up plan: princess Ariel is going to come for 45 min to party it up with you gals! It's a secret surprise :) Also, you and daddy decided to make your own birthday cake so we borrowed gear and tips from Z and got decorations so you're ready to bake! No overnight camp trip this year bc the campground was full! Oh well the joke's on them because it will be flooding rain this weekend! :)

Now go to sleep! I can hear you and daddy cutting up in bed on the monitor. And no you are not getting your ears pierced after your birthday party (who told you to do that?!) and yes to your question you can watch SOME Sponge Bob now that you're 5. Love you, here's to another year :)



Final night of Four





FIVE! Birthday girl!!


Since you were barely 2 you've always opened your silverware at restaurants, went straight for the knife and handed it directly to us. ALWAYS. We'd never even asked. It's just something you started but tonight you did this:






Yee haw!























You were afraid that since your birthday head band only had 3 candles on it people would think you're turning 3. So I had to write on a little sticker the number 5 and stick it to the front of it.

Now I'm exhausted. Bedtime! More fun to come :)

Love love love from your mommy and daddy!!! Squeezes and kisses!!!

Lovin' Her!

Katy Perry: There's a message here..right?

Anna has taken a liking to a few rther racy Katy Perry videos. And I introduced her to them. OK it's not that bad. It's California Gurls, Friday Night, and Firework. It started with the innocent Firework. Then she was so enthralled...

At any rate she asks to watch them on my iphone all the time. I was thinking on some level I suck as a mom for letting her watch this crap. But then again, she's too young to really get the "racy" parts of it that's clear to you and me, and it's a chance for me to let her know that girls can be pretty all glammed up, but also a leader, a normal person, and able to make their own way. I'm not exactly in love with Katy Perry but I do think she's pushed her way in and has some level of talent. It takes guts as well as boobs.

She also has started liking Jewel's music (she's easy and not nearly on the racy side). I got to explain that she can be smart because she writes her own music as poetry, pretty, is married to a cowboy and has a new baby so she's a mom, too.

Then there's Lady GaGa. For some reason Anna's taken a liking to a few of her songs. So we watched her New Year's performance together and the look on Anna's face was more of: "WTH is SHE WEARING? I don't know about this..."  I explained that Lady Gaga likes to wear lots of different costumes. But that's about all I know about Lady Gaga :)

...out...

13.1 done!

Beat our best previous half marathon time by 6 minutes on Sunday at the Houston Half marathon! I've done the Houston Half in 2006 and in 2008. In 2009, 2010, and 2011, we did the Disney Half. All have always been in Jan which makes for a completely doable training season. We opted out of the Disney Half this Jan, and the associated Disney World, Fl trip that accompanies it. That's made me particularly sad because it's been fun benchmarking Anna's growth every year there. But we've decided to go in September instead to what was going to be the Wine and Dine Half but is now the Tower of Terror 10 miler. Oh well, screw you Disney for foiling our plans and shorting us 3.1 miles. But to be honest, I bonk at around mile 10 anyway!

A few things to note based on this year's Half:

-A full night's sleep without a kid's foot in my ribs and cramming our bodies into a smaller-than-Queen-size bed at Disney makes an apparent difference. It seems 1 hour of sleep = 1 minute overall trimmed off my run time the next day.

-Not tip toeing around 30 bodies in the Disney Wilderness Cabin at 2am conserves energy. Apparently by 6 minutes in the end.

-How the Hell did we walk the parks every year immediately after running 13.1 and a shower? The power of family pressure. Note to self: there's something to be said about all that post-race walking: cuts down on the stiff muscles.

-The closer you get to the finish line, the more clueless runners piss you off (translated: I'm trying to beat my time, DON'T YOU HAVE A GOAL? MOVE OUT OF MY WAY!).

- Running faster overall means you finish earlier. How about that?

-The last two miles suck the worst. Make that the last 2.1 miles.

-Houston has more of a cheer crowd than Disney

-Not sure how it's geographically possible, but Houston has more freaking hills than the Disney route

-Houston clearly handles the logistics better: better crowd control, wider running route, a post-race meal, and even better goodie bags!

-Houston has a later start time of 7am which means DUDE I GOT TO SLEEP UNTIL 4AM, unlike Disney's start an hour earlier. Eastern time. Do the math.

-Disney has more idiot walkers who just won't get out of your way (no offense to walkers, unless you're the idiot who walks 5-friends-wide across the route. TO YOUR LEFT!!!!)

-Get Anna a play date for the remainder of the day the next time we run 13.1 miles. We were sore and tired and we really didn't want to convey a negative message that RUNNING MAKES YOU FEEL LIKE CRAP the rest of the day, but she kept asking why we weren't doing anything fun that day. We told her that really it's just that sometimes it's good to just chill out, relax, and lay low. Life is not always go-go-go!

I can't even for the life of me now fathom the feat which has been for the previous 3 years of what we did regarding the travel, family, and half marathon experience of Disney. And oh yes, each year I was also there in Orlando a week early to work a major conference. Work, family, travel, a half marathon, DISNEY PARKS. One single trip to Disney alone can destroy a family's stress levels by itself!

WTF?! My GOD, people will clearly do whatever hair brained thing I dictate, won't they?!

HAHA. Those were the best trips EVER :)  Miss you Disney, see you in September, albeit 3.1 miles short.

Night 4: Incident- Fell out of bed at 1:30am. Dry on wake up. Night 5: wet Weeeeeeee.....

Night 3: Dry

Staying Dry

Anna's been potty trained since just before she was 3 years old...but has never managed to stay dry at night. She's still in pull ups at night, and most usually they're soaked by the morning. We've had week-longs stretches of dryness occasionally in the past, but that's a rarity. This is such a sensitive issue, we've taken her pediatrician's advice on not pushing her too hard on this. But if you ask around long enough on all of this, it seems the issue is split: ranging from behavioral to physiological to hereditary bases. I've been told to "just put her in her big girl undies, and after a few wet nights she'll get the idea!" (behavioral). My physiology books say that there's hormones that are regulated by the light/dark cycle, some of which are involved in bladder control, that develop later for some kids than others (physiological). I've read some Baby Center articles that say the muscles to control the bladder at night and the link to the brain telling the child to "not pee!" may take longer to develop in others.

What the hell.

I don't know what the answer is. But since she'll be 5 in March and she seems ready to participate in staying dry like a big girl, we've decided to go with big girl undies for bedtime instead of pull-ups. We talked with her about it just before Christmas, and miraculously starting with that night, she stayed dry all week (even though we hadn't switched to undies yet). Then the next week when she was at my mom's, she was wet all week. We'd agreed that her first night back at home, we'd start the big girl undies.

We doubled up the mattress pads and the sheet layers for quicker middle of night changes. We've prepped her for "just do your best, we won't get mad if you wet the bed! But the idea is to do your best." No water before bed, potty before bed, and that will be evidence of her best!

Night 1: Wet bed, 2am change
Night 2: Wet bed, 6:30am change

I don't think she's been trying her best because the battle over the water right before bed is still tough. She swears she's dying of thirst. My take on this is if you decide to drink water before bed, you're deciding you're wetting the bed. And that's that.

But our pedi says that limiting fluids like that isn't really going to help much anyway. When she wakes up wet, she isn't really upset. It's just more matter of fact, which is all likely a reflection of my own attitude on the whole thing. If I'd be upset over it, she would too. So what to do?! It's a Catch-22 for us: I try to get the point across that we're not mad when she wets the bed, but it's still not OK to wet the bed exactly. The goal is to do your best. If you've done your best and you still wet the bed, that's all we can do...

...Until these middle of the night wake-ups start to take their toll on us all...

For me it's a fine line between nudging her along and pushing. No one wants to push but we have to nudge a little or else risk no advancements at all. Like everything else, we'll just have to play this by ear.

Rainbow complete!

Right about now I'm realizing my anxiety and remembering why we were painting over dancing teddy bear wallpaper 10 years ago in the first place: I have had trouble commuting any room in the house to that of a child theme. Even Anna's room has tan and olive walls, with girlie blankets but nothing permanent. I struggle with patterns (translated they bug me).

But then:





That's actually pretty cute. And as much as I struggled with that cloud rug (I really wanted plain red), Anna will love it more than I will struggle.

At least for awhile. Then those colors are going to be a bitch to paint over!! :)

We will surprise her with it when she gets home so shhhh don't say anything!

Astronaut App 2011, done!

Done!
It wasn't nearly as painful as the last go-around. Maybe I should have proof-read it more thoroughly, or maybe it's just that this year I'm not so stressed out about the outcome. I am what I am, and now it's all on paper headed to the selection office. There are only so many ways you can represent how cool you are, and here I've done my best. Applications close Jan 27. They start letting folks know if they're even interested or not in the March-July timeframe.