Halloween 5k for Craniosynostosis

Over the weekend my parents, Jude, and I roadtripped from our humble abode in Metro-Detroit to Long Island for a 5k walk/run for craniosynostosis. We took off Friday night (I forgot to take epic roadtripping pictures to commemorate Jude's first roadtrip though :() and stopped in the middle of Pennsylvania the wee hours to get some rest in a motel room. Saturday morning, we wasted no time in getting out of there and back on the road and got to New York in the early afternoon. Before checking into the hotel we made a stop at Coney Island for lunch (coney's, naturally) and to go to the aquarium.

Jude was a shark!

He wanted to eat the penguins, because that's what sharks do. 

With his sharky brethren.

On the Coney Island boardwalk.

After we got to the hotel that night, Jude crawled and played around the room until eleven o'clock because he was so restless from being stuck in the car seat for so long, but he was so happy to be free.

Stretching before the race. My mum was a trooper and ran the 5K while the rest of us walked. She ran it in 33 minutes!

At the starting line!

Mile 2! Jude wanted a little break to stretch his legs.

He walked a little bit of it, with help from his Pop-Pop and I of course.

He crossed the finish line and got a medal for being so awesome.

We made a slight detour to have Halloween lunch in Sleepy Hollow... because we're that awesome nerdy. 

We all had matching capes that said Jude's Mama, PopPop, and Gran and also shirts that said "Going the distance for Jude Man" buttttt we didn't take pictures. I think we should take pictures sometime soon so we can have some. There were tons of people at the race, it was great to see all the people supporting the cause and we got to talk to a few. Jude played with a few kids afterwards too. 

The downfalls to the trip:

- No trick-or-treating for us.

- Jude became addicted to the tube because we had car DVD players and it was the only way to keep him calm. I didn't think that I would need more than 4 full movie and 1 Baby Einstein DVD's so we ended up watching "Alice In Wonderland" 4 times. I knew I should have followed my gut and grabbed more. 

Ch-ch-changes

This is one of those posts that I've been thinking about making for, like, a week. No joke. 
I've been busy making some changes to better myself and the world.
Change 1: I've stopped using shampoo and my hair looks/feels fabulous. If not better than before. I use baking soda & water. Plus a few drops of tea tree oil for a little extra cleansing boost. I haven't added the recommended vinegar "conditioner" because a) I haven't really needed it and b) I couldn't find the apple cider vinegar in our cupboards.
Change 2: Teaching Jude how to walk. He's getting better at it everyday, he'll take a step or two on his own here and there. I think the most he has taken on his own so far is around 4 or 5. He's getting there slowly, but surely. Soon he'll be running and driving me even more crazy.
Change 3: I made my own soap. It smells of patchouli and is shaped like a T-Rex.
Change 4: Since I'm running in the 5k for Craniosynostosis on Halloween, I decided the other day that maybe I should start actually training. I tried training before, but I always felt like crap (I'm out of shape and my legs weren't cooperating by either my knees or ankles failing on me) after running, so I gave up after a week. I was doing the Couch to 5k plan before, but this time I decided to just go for a barefoot run. Well, I wore my fancy Paper-Feet. I jogged .91 miles (which I know thanks to http://www.mapmyrun.com/) without stopping. The only reason I stopped and chose to do a 2 block cool-down walk as opposed to 1 is because I was thirsty and forgot to bring a water bottle with me. But, after running barefoot, my legs felt great and I didn't twist my ankle once(which I'm normally very prone to doing), no shin splints, no awkward cramps. I did forget to stretch, but I still felt great. I need to keep that up and work up to 3 miles for the run.
Speaking of the run. I'm trying to collect money. A $500 donation, going towards The Jorge Posada Foundation & CAPPS (the hosts of the race), also gets a spot on the t-shirt and in the official race journal for Jude's name. So far I have collected $155, mostly through Paypal. If you're interested in making a donation to sponsor Jude in the race, please let me know and I can send you the Paypal link.

Changes I still need to make include but aren't limited to: cloth pads and/or cup, sewing more, knitting more, crafting things to sell, rearranging my bedroom, and finding an attention span.

8 weeks post-op!

Jude was 8 weeks post-op as of Wednesday!
One of the hardest things I've been through in my life happened 8 weeks ago. It sometimes seems longer ago than that, probably because we jumped right back into normal life almost immediately. I'm so relieved it's all behind us. He looks like an entirely different person than he did 8-9 weeks ago. Hell, he looks completely different than he did when he was born, but we'll save that progression for his Birthday on Monday.

Top-view, pre-op.

8 weeks ago, the morning of his surgery.

Fresh out of surgery.

Top-view, 2 days post-op.

1 week post-op.

2 weeks post-op.

Top view, 2 weeks.

3 weeks.

4 weeks.

6 weeks.

8 weeks!

Top-view, 8 weeks.

It has been a long, tough journey, and I'd be lying if I said it wasn't the hardest thing in my life thus far. I'd also be lying if I told you I didn't cry while gathering the pictures and writing this post. Sometimes I miss his little pointy noggin, butbI'm glad it's over with. I'm glad everything has returned to mostly normal. His scar is so normal to me that I almost forget it's there when we're out in public until someone (usually a small child) looks at him odd, and sometimes people ask. I like when people ask because then I can inform them of craniosynostosis. More times than one would expect with it being so rare and unheard of until diagnosis I run into someone who says "Oh, yeah, so and so's child had that." It's good to know we're not alone.
There's a 5k run/walk for craniosynostosis on Halloween this year. It's in New York, but my mum and I are going to make the road trip to run. We're also going to do some fundraising. It's benefiting two of the larger craniosynostosis foundations; the Jorge Posada Foundation and CAPPS. We'll work something awesome out for fundraising. I think our goal will be $500, that's the minimum for t-shirt sponsorship to get Jude's name on the shirts and that we're running for him.
I feared that his personality would change after the surgery from the stress of it all and all the strangers in the hospital, but it hasn't. He's one of the friendliest, most out-going babies I have ever seen. Whenever we go out anywhere he sits there and waves at anyone he sees. He starts conversations with them. He flirts with the ladies. Strangers think he's a complete doll. I'm thankful for that.
Now that that journey is over with, I'm excited to see what other journeys come our way. I hope they aren't nearly as challenging and stressful as this one has been though.

I'm marching for babies!

This year, I've decided to go on a walking/running kick to get into shape, and I figured, why not walk for a cause?

This is the first walk I'll be participating in this year, and I'm excited. It is April 25th, and is 6 miles long!

Every day, thousands of babies are born too soon, too small and often very sick. I'm walking in March for Babies because I want to do something about this. And I need your help.

Please support my walk. Making a secure donation is easy: just click the 'donate now' button on this page. Thank you for helping me give all babies a healthy start!

The mission of March of Dimes is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality.