Life's answers aren't always detailed in the instructions

Noah was sick for much of last week, basically throwing up everything he tried to consume. Some kind of virus going around Austin attacking small children.

Still, by Saturday, Noah was feeling much better and just in time for me to pick him up from his mother. I was just going to have him for a few hours before returning him back to his mom in time for lunch.

Before we took off, here was the conversation I had with Noah's mom:

Noah's mom: "Now don't feed him anything at your apartment because I want to monitor what he eats and dont want him to get sick."

Me: "OK."

Well, a few hours into hanging out, Noah and I are at my apartment and he says, "Daddy, I'm really hungry. Do you have anything for me?"

Well, shit, I'm not gonna starve my kid. So I give him a few crackers and then call his mother and tell her. She's fine with that. But a few minutes later, Noah says, "do you have any turkey for me because these crackers aren't helping my hunger."

Well, of course I had some turkey. Now, I know his mom didnt want me to feed Noah because she worried that the Noah wasnt healthy enough to eat solids. But, hey, when your kid is begging you for food, his stomach must be ok. So I gave him two or three slices of turkey. He devoured the turkey. He didnt get sick.

Great, I thought.

Until I took him to his mother's house. She admonished me for giving him turkey and then speculated that the turkey couldnt have been fresh because itd been in my fridge for about a week (Hey, the expiration date was March 12, and I had tasted the turkey and it seemed fine to me.)

Anyway, like I said, Noah's mom. WAS. NOT. HAPPY. The doctor had told her to start off with clear liquids, then clear foods, then work Noah back up to meats. SLOWLY.

My thought: The right answers aren't always on the back of a medicine box or in a doctors notes.

When your kid is hungry, feed him.

Ok. That is all.

The kid is out cold

He wouldn't fall asleep, so I loaded him into my car and drove around Austin and... voila!

Daddy, I'm looking for some trouble...

....Less than 10 minutes later, he poured his milk all over my couch. (At least it wasn't on my computer this time.) And how can you get mad when this is what stares back at you.

Happy Birthday Noah!

Look who turns 2 today...

There is a cow in my car

I bought the Britax toddler car seat for Noah a few weeks ago. Babies R Us only had this weird cow pattern. From everything I read (and from what Noah's mother told me), this car seat was supposed to be one of the safest around.

So, I put down the cash and put the seat in my car. Every time I get in my car, it just looks like there is cow in the back seat. But Noah seems to like it.

This kid is ready for a bib

I think he's got a 10-minute-mile in him. No?

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I took it "easy" during Thursday morning's 10-miler. Never dipped below 7 minute-mile and averaged 7:52 for the entire run. Afterwards, a lot of us dipped into the Barton Creek springs, which are kept at a constant 68 degrees.

Brrrrrrr. But my legs loved it.

*********

I'm feeling very fatherly right now. Fixed my kid's tricycle and installed his car seat in my car. Me and Noah hung out a lot today at Barnes and Nobles, where they have Thomas the Train set up for him (and other kids) to play with.

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I'm running 5 miles Friday morning and 16 on Saturday. Then, I want to see Denzel Washington and John Travolta in The Taking of Pelham 123.

Have a great weekend everybody!

Me and the kiddo hanging out this weekend

I'm sure I'll get my fill of Elmo and poopy diapers, but it'll be worth it. Hope everyone has a happy Memorial Day Weekend.

Noah and I will.

How do moms do what they do

Seeing Noah so much has been as fun as I thought it would be and as rewarding. He loves attention. He is always saying, "Daddy, daddy, daddy," before he does something he thinks is totally amazing, like telling me what a rock is, or throwing his basketball at his mini basketball hoop.

I have to admit, it is also hard work. All last week, I had Noah for about four or five hours each day by myself because they were laying tile down at Nancy's house and she didn't want him around all that dust.

When you are in charge of a 21-month-old, you have to find creative ways to do things like cook, or go to the bathroom, or even read the paper. Turns out, I don't have those skills yet of being a multi-tasking father. Because the minute I'd walk in the kitchen to try to clean up or cook something for me, Noah would either walk in the kitchen behind me, or he'd want me to play with him. So, I'd play with him and wait until he was napping to get in all my errands.

By the end of each day, I was very tired.

So, to all you mothers out there, I raise my (wine) glass to you. You should get paid for what you do. Raising children (and I only have one) is hard work.

But I'm looking forward to it.

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The job search is going slow....slow....slow. I've got a lot of contacts, and a lot of people telling me they know somebody who knows somebody who knows somebody who can get me a job. But right now, I'm too far away on the six degrees of separation thing. My money is still ok... for now. So, I'm not panicking. Yet.

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The weather has been so nice in Austin the last few days that I have probably run a little more than I'd planned to run so early in a marathon schedule.

Monday was in the low 60s with virtually no humidity. My original plan was to do 8 miles. I was going to do the Town Lake Boulevard/Exposition loop for about 4.5 miles then do a 4 mile loop around Town Lake. Now, I'd taken Sunday off after running 12 miles in 70-degree, 100-percent humidity on Saturday. So, needless to say, my legs were pretty fresh.

I do the neighborhood loop, then I get out on the lake, running from the foot bridge under Mopac east to 1st Street, where there is a water station set up. I was supposed to go over the First Street bridge and go back to Mopac. But at this point, I was feeling pretty good, and decided to run all the way to the I-35 bridge before turning back. (Ok, ok. There was also a very very very pretty girl running ahead of me and, well, I sorta missed the First Street turn).

So, I wound up doing 12 miles. I have never run that many miles on any day other than Saturday or Sunday. My pace for those 12 miles was 7:57, though the last 9 miles my pace was more like 7:30. It takes me a few miles to warm up before I start, "feeling good."

Anyway, I didn't feel like running at all this morning, but the weather was sooooo good that I got out and did a slow 5-miler around Town Lake, running from the foot bridge under Mopac, east to the Congress Avenue Bridge, over the bridge, and back west to my car under Mopac. It was actually 4.9 miles. Near the end of the run, when I knew it'd be 4.9 and not 5 miles, I thought about running the extra tenth of a mile just so I could put a whole number in my logbook. But, nahhhhh, why run an extra minute. So, I stopped, stretched, and drove back home.

I'll get that .10 on another day.

Happy Easter, from Noah

I didn't get to spend Easter with my son, Noah. Instead, I stayed in Fort Worth and went to church with my family. My brother and mother were in an Easter play. Very well done.

Here is what I missed of Noah over the weekend. The first picture is of Noah. His mother, Nancy, made him wear these Easter Rabbit ears. Cute.

The second picture is of Nancy and Noah.

Well, that was a strange reaction

I turned in my paperwork for the voluntary buyout. I'll know if I'm accepted sometime Thursday. Basically, if four people who have more tenure than me want the voluntary buyout, I won't be accepted. But far as I know, of all the people who want to leave voluntarily, I'm the one with the most tenure.

So, it looks like I'm gone. Noah, here I come.

The strange thing has been the reaction from Noah's mother. You'd think she'd be happy to have the father of her son come down to Austin to help her raise him. But that has not been the case. In fact, Nancy has been the ONLY person (in person or the blogosphere) who says I'm making a stupid decision to leave one job without a guarantee of another. She has even called me three or four times to talk me out of leaving the Star-Telegram. Says she's worried about Noah's insurance, and having enough money to take care of him.

But as I told her, nothing is going to keep me from my kid. This decision is about one person and one person only: Noah.

I will make sure that he will be OK.

Noah vs. the Star-Telegram

So, what I didn't say the other day, what I didn't detail about the Star-Telegram layoffs was this: Yeah, I survived, but I have the option of taking a voluntary buyout.

And so how that plays out for me is this way: I can stay at the Star-Telegram, where I've been employed since 1994; I can stay in my comfort zone in Fort Worth, where I've made tons of friends on the running trails.

Or I can take the voluntary buyout and go move to Austin to begin raising my son, Noah. If I take the voluntary buyout, I'll get six months pay (which means I'd have six months to find a job) and the company will pay 65 percent of my COBRA insurance for three months (and maybe up to 9 months depending on how President Obama's stimulus plan applies to insurance).

But let me repeat the first part of the Pro of the Pro/Con of taking the buyout: I get to be around my son. Everyday. Not every two weeks. Everyday. Noah is 19 months old. As much as I don't get along with his mother, it is very painful to leave Noah when it's time for me to go back to Fort Worth. I can easily get my own place and then see him as much as I want to see him.

And so yeah, unemployment in this country is at the highest level in years. And yeah, I don't know many people in Austin. But what can be more important than raising your kid? What? Making a few more dollars at the Star-Telegram? I'm not so sure. I could wait until the next round of layoffs at the Star-Telegram, but there is no guarantee that the severance package would be the same. And more importantly, everyday I'm not around my kid, that's a day I'll never get back.

I've got until Thursday at 10 a.m. to make a decision about what I want to do. Do I stay at the Star-Telegram? Or do I leave the only profession I've ever known to be a much bigger factor in the life of my only son in Austin, Texas?

It's Noah vs. the Star-Telegram.

Noah has a two-touchdown lead with 2 minutes to go.

Big decision I'm making

Usually when I visit Noah, I stay at the Austin townhouse of his mother, who lives with her mother. I sleep in my own room and I get up when Noah awakes and I get to see him before he goes to sleep. I get there on Saturdays after my long run (Yeah, you try driving 3 hours after running 20 miles and tell me how much your knees like it) and leave Monday mornings.

But I don't get along with Noah's mother. And it makes the weekend stressful. And things are getting worse.

So, I think I'm going to have to make a change. I think I'm going to get a hotel when I go see Noah. It'll mean I have to find an extra $75 to $100 every two weeks in my budget, and it also means I get there Saturday and leave Sunday, but I just don't think I can take the stress anymore. I wont get into why Nancy and I don't get along. We can't stand each other. She thinks she is right and I think I am right, but whats important is that she is a very good mother and I'm lucky and Noah is lucky that she is mom. But staying there is too stressful. Even if its only 48 hours.

I shouldn't have to go through what I have to go through to see my son. There is no law that says so. I give her 20 percent of my paycheck every two weeks, and sometimes I give her extra when Noah needs it. But now, now, if I keep staying there, I'm going to lose my mind. I just am.

And now, I've decided I won't. Nancy and I haven't been in a relationship since she left _ that's right _ she left in Oct. 2007. So, its not like we got something special going. I cant afford two nights of hotel costs every two weeks, but maybe I go to Austin every three weeks. Get there Saturday and maybe leave sometime Monday.

I think its what I have to do to keep my sanity.

Getting back into it

(Before I begin this post, let me say that there has been a delay in the marathon video, but I should have it up sometime Wednesday.)

So, its been 8 days since the marathon and I'm already thinking about when I'm going to do the next one.

But my body still needs to heal up. I'm probably at 90 percent now. I ran 3 miles last Thursday and 9 miles last Saturday. Felt real crappy at the beginning of the 9-miler _ could feel my hamstrings burning in the same place they were burning in the marathon, but by the end of the run, I felt great, was able to do each of the last four miles in sub 8s.

I was in Austin over the weekend hanging out with my kiddo, Noah. (That's him just before getting his first haircut). He knows how to say "No," really well, now. He shakes his head and leans back. "No," to vegetables; "No," to taking a nap; "No," to being picked up. But something else he said "No," to: Me and Nancy were taking him Christmas shopping and one of the cds Nancy has for him was playing in the car. At the beginning of one song, Noah starts shaking his head. (The CD was from the Baby Einstein Classical Music Collection.)

"What's wrong with him," I ask Nancy.

"He doesn't like that song," she said.

"How do you know," I said.

"Because I know what songs he likes and what songs he doesn't like," she said.

I was totally amazed. But sure enough, when I changed the song to "Noah-approved lyrics," he'd smile and clap his hands. I'd change the CD to another song, and he'd frown and and shake his head until I put the right song on.

Every time I leave Austin, I think Noah is the most amazing kid and then when I come back to Austin, he does something else even more amazing. I'm a lucky dad.

Holiday pictures

Here are a few leftover photos from Thanksgiving.....

1) Noah on Thanksgiving morning. Has fork and plate in hand. "Hey dad, where is my turkey?"

These are my parents with their grandkids.....From left to right: Mom, Alexandria, Noah, Dad, Keith (in Tony Romo jersey), Cedric, Daniel.

Cedric, Alexandria, and Daniel are my brother's kids. Keith is my sister's kid. And you know who Noah belongs to.

This is Noah (r) and my sister's son, Keith (l) learning to play together. Notice all the dangerous wires from my entertainment system.

14 months going on....

This is my 200th post and why not "celebrate" this momentous occasion with a picture of my 14-month old son, Noah.

Wonder what he is thinking?

"Dad, where is my bib (number)?"

"My hair is really growing funny."

"My hair is different from yours."

"When will you let me have a sip of that red stuff in your funny shaped glass?"

"I think I've got your nose."

This is why I drive to Austin

This is what Noah has been doing:

*Point to what he wants while grunting.

*Say mama. Squeal.

*Walking since early August. (I'd say he is up to a 25-minute mile.)

*Grab a book he wants you to read, turn the pages, then communicate that he wants you to read it again.

*Put his hands together to pray before he eats.

*Play rough with me.

*Grab a broom and push it back and forth like its a vacuum cleaner.

*Make car noises when he pushes his little cars along the floor.

*Drink water from a cup (while an adult holds it).

*Grab the remote control, aim it at the TV and shake it, as though the TV will magically switch channels.

*Turn his head away from food he doesn't want.

On intervals, an infants first steps, and an elbow bent the wrong way

I did more intervals today. This time, I did 10x400 meter intervals around the track at TCU.

It was humid, very humid. You know when you step out of the shower and the mirror is all foggy? That's how humid it was this morning in Fort Worth. A misty glaze on everyone's car windows, and lots of dew on the ground.

Still, I did each of the intervals between 1:34 and 1:38. I'm not really a big fan of 400 meter intervals because they are not long enough to get your heart rate real high. I didn't get to 90 percent heart rate max until the 10th and final interval. But, hey, they say these short intervals are good for leg turnover, etc. So, I'll take it.

Marathon training: Ive got a little more than 17 weeks before White Rock and I think I'm going to start following the Lukes Locker schedule a little more closely. The weeks now call for a long run (which Ive been doing), and a tempo run. My tempo run, which should only be 20 to 25 minutes, should be done at 7:10 pace. Uhhhh, okay. I guess I'll do that. I'm also going to keep a session of intervals in the weekly mix. Maybe next week, I'll do some 800 meter intervals.
Bottom line, I need to do more runs at 8:30 or slower, which is about 25 percent slower than my VO2max (6:45 minute/mile). Running at 8:30 or slower will help me conserve fuel, keep injuries at bay, and be fresh for the harder workouts.

Noah update: This morning, he walked 16 steps, Nancy reports. Then, when she got home, he walked across the room to greet her. Its official. Noah is a walker. I'm already going to fit him for a marathon bib.

Olympics catastrophe: I'm enjoying Michael Phelps win all these gold medals like the rest of the U.S.A. And I can't wait until the track and field events. One story that hasn't been shown much on NBCs coverage (and thank God) is the misfortune of a Hungarian weightlifter who dislocated his right elbow as he hoisted a God-awful amount of weight above his head. Here is the video, if you can stomach the site of an elbow bent the other way. The odd thing is while he lay on the mat writhing in pain, these people came from out of nowhere to keep the cameras from showing him scream. Not one of them tried to help the poor guy.

Ch-Ch-Changes...

1. The kiddo. He's got his first real cold, Nancy reports. But there is even a silver lining in that. While they were in the waiting room at the doctors office in Austin, he stood up and took three steps because he wanted a toy. My son is walking!!!! Now, if he can just hold on until I get there this weekend. (This photo is of Noah on the day of his birthday party a few weeks back. He was standing up back then.)

2. Job. We've had a lot of layoffs at the paper, which have left us short on reporters. So, I moved from editing education to covering government, i.e., the county appraisal district, council of governments, Fort Worth Zoo, code enforcement.

I haven't written a story for publication since the early 2000s. Do I have stage fright? Writers block? Nahhhh. In my previous life, I've gone face to face with Jerry Jones and Mark Cuban, Troy Aikman, Deion Sanders, Michael Irvin, and Emmitt Smith. An angry mayor or city councilman won't scare me.

Marathon training restart

I'm just getting back from Austin where I celebrated Noah's 1st birthday.

I stayed away from blogging and from running. (This is my longest time away from running since March. It's time to re-start the marathon training).

Noah is growing up so fast. He is, they say, cruising. He can pull himself up and walk around a couch or an ottoman. Being away from him so much, I always wonder if he'll remember me when I come to town every two weeks. When I got to Austin and opened the door, he jumped off his grandmother's lap and crawled/rolled/stumbled to me as fast as he could. So sweet.

He didn't eat his birthday cake, and in fact, he seemed afraid of it. But he ate the carrots. Weird. We had a petting zoo for him. But he didn't like the Llamas or the goat. but he laughed a lot and probably didn't get any sleep or nap time the whole time I was there.

He looks really good and is really happy and I have to give his mother all the credit. She'd ask him, "How old are you?" and he'd grunt and put up one finger. The mothers of a lot of his friends came over and they sang happy birthday to him and he'd clap his hands when they were done and it took everything I had not to just start balling my eyes out.

I am really itching to get back running. I was going to run 12 miles last Friday morning, but there was lightning everywhere. I was going to run 6 miles Sunday morning, but I had a bad hangover from drinking so much after Noah's birthday party.

So this week, I should be ready. I'm supposed to do about 35 to 40 miles with a 14 mile long run on Saturday with 5 hill repeats. I gotta get my eating back on track and make sure I get enough sleep and I should be okay.

Happy Birthday to the kiddo.

Noah is 1 today. Here are a few pictures of him through the first 12 months, starting with today.


Noah riding his birthday gift today.

June. Noah's first foray into the pool. He loved it.

Noah and Nancy at an Austin kite festival in March. It was windy and cold.

Noah and myself on Christmas Day, 2007. I don't think he got my joke.

September 2007

August 2007

The day after Noah was born. We've taken over Nancy's hospital bed. (Hey, I was tired and needed somewhere to lay down!)