Slowly but surely

my back is getting better. Seems as though I just popped it and didn't tear anything, which is a plus. At this point it's just tender and I don't need to push things. Sigh. A year off and 3 workouts in and I get hurt. Joy.

And some stupid bug has invaded our home. Unfortunately it's not the kind that you call the exterminator for. All afternoon yesterday I felt pukey, but I fought it even long enough to workout. When I went to pick up j from my aunt, I couldn't get out of there fast enough. I wasn't sure which end it was coming out of, but it was coming. I got home and popped a couple Tums and hoped for the best. I had a horrible "poop" (is it still poop when nothing is solid?). Still wasn't going away. And to top off the fun, I was bloated to high hell (I looked about 6 months pregnant). I decided it was time and shoved a couple fingers down my throat. Oh sweet relief.

The rest of the evening was spent praying j wouldn't get crazy fussy while we waited for J to get home and running to the bathroom. I did get some sleep, but ended up staying home today. There's no way I could have made the drive to work. Plus I have been dragging ass all week. It seriously reminded me of late 1st trimester fatigue (which it is not- I think I ovulated yesterday). The sleep was welcome.

Except J came down with it as well. I took j to daycare an hour late and shortly after I got back, J pulled in. He has an interview tonight. That should be entertaining.

Ow ow, fuck me, ow.

I haven't done this in a few years.

I started working out this past week. Monday was squats, Tuesday was just some light recovery stuff, Thursday bench, and yesterday deadlift.

I hate deadlift. It ruins a perfectly good powerlifting meet. I can do good at squat, decent at bench, but I suck when it comes to deadlift. By suck, I mean my best pull in a meet is 370. Sounds like a lot, but for my weight class and competitive level, it sucks something fierce. I hate the workouts, pretty much I hate everything about it.

For some reason, yesterday was a little different. I had a couple little things pointed out to me and holy crap- it was going awesome. Especially for not having lifted in over a year. 175 for 5 went life it was nothing, 195 like it was nothing. Next up was 215 for 3+. They went like a feather. It was great. I was thinking maybe we might turn me into a deadlifter after all. I pulled my 5th rep and a small voice said "Put down the weight. You are done". And the crazy part of my brain- the part that led me to powerlifting in the first place- said "Whatever. You have at least 8 here, maybe 10".

So I pulled the 6th rep. I was just short of locking out at the top when my back popped. And not in a good way. I have no idea why I didn't just drop the bar, but I didn't. Everyone was laughing at me shifting to put the bar down. Then they realized why. At least I could get up, which was a vast improvement over the last time I hurt my back. We tried several different things to help it out- rolling on a foam bolster, traction with a band, hanging. All kinds of fun. Got it to a point where I can function. I had to baby it the rest of the day, but made it through.

Today? Holy hell. I think it tensed back up overnight. I barely managed to get j out of his crib. Back to more stretching. I think I am moving up my chiropractor appointment this week from Wednesday evening to Monday morning.

Fine.

Since some people have been asking for it, I will give this bad boy a try again.

So what has happened since May? A lot. j has grown like a weed. He is currently about 17.6 lbs, pushing 28". He has mastered rolling back to front, and is pretty proficient at going front to back. He also figured out how to scoot the other day. We are in for some trouble.

He's been hit or miss health wise. He had a nasty cold that just would not let go for months. We went through meds without a whole lot of help. They were great while he was on them, but as soon as they were gone it came right back. He's been doing well for about a week now. Not congested for the first time in a long time. Hoepfully no more trips to the ER (J freaked when he was sleepy, running a temp and then started breathing weird. Turns out j is teething).

This last weekend J managed to talk me into taking up archery. I got a compound bow after spending a few hours in the store contemplating the purchase. I am not sold on hunting yet, but it's something J and I can do together, and I was halfway decent at it (which wasn't a surprise. I've always been a pretty decent shot with everything else I have shot over the years, and the sights being personalized makes it that much easier). And they let us play with a crossbow as well. If you like shooting weapons, try one. Fucking sweet.

I also got back to lifting this week. I am sore as hell, but it is nice to get back to it. I am working with some new people this time- hopefully it will make a difference. My bench and dead lift have been stuck for years. Something has to change.

As for making j a big brother, we may have hit a snag with our original plans. I have a huge project coming up at work, it would be a royal pain in the ass for me to be gone on maternity leave in the middle of it. But it's also a 2 year project, and with J hitting the big 4-0 this year, I don't know if we want to put it off that long. Bridges to cross when we get there.

Some j cuteness for your pleasure.