Outnumbered

It's been a while since I last wrote, so now seems like a good time to get caught up.  Harper is now approaching 3 weeks, which sounds like no big deal, but to any parent, it's crazy.  To think that our last baby is already 3 weeks old.  Yes, I said last.  We get asked quite often if Harper will be our last and both Sarah and I, without hesitation claim, "oh yea!"  Not that we don't or couldn't handle a fourth child.  It truly comes down to logistics and finances.  Raising a kid is not cheap (ahhh....duh).  If you would have asked me just one month ago and asked me, personally, if I wanted a fourth kid, I would have laughed, asked, "are you serious," and come right back with a short two letter answer..."NO."  But, with Harper here, and most of the "honeymoon period" over and done with.  Having a third kid around the house isn't half bad.  Sure, it helps having Super Mom around the house all the time, but Sarah and I have adjusted rather nicely to being a family of 5 from the previous family of 4.  Sarah has been at home since Harper was born and will continue to stay home with her and the girls until the beginning of May, at which time, I have taken some time away from work to help out around the house and to keep Harper at home just a little longer, before sending her to childcare.  It really hasn't been all the bad around our house.  Hectic?  Yes.  Loud?  Sure.  Messy?  Oh yea.  Enjoyable?  You bet!  Sarah and I have helped each other out when needed.  Sarah is and always has been the baby whisperer of our relationship.  And truthfully, I don't really "do" babies.  Sarah and I have each taken on our own responsibilities based on our strengths.  Sarah cares for Harper and her around-the-clock needs, while I handle the two older girls, who don't have the same constant needs, but seem to have their own frustrations.

Cousins!

Grandma and Grandpa Kohl

Raising a baby will take a lot outta ya!

Simply adorable

As my title clearly states, Sarah and I are now officially outnumbered, 2:3.  3 munchkins to 2 adults.  It's not fair, not at all.  But that isn't the only way I am currently outnumbered.  There is also a current ratio of 4:1, yes, four to one.  That ratio is girls to boys.  As Three Dog Night infamously wrote years ago, "One is the loneliest number."  But honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way.  I love having my little girls.  Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have one teammate on my side, but, as I often say, everything happens for a reason.  I think if money was not an issue, Sarah and I would definitely try to have a 4th kid with hopes of my elusive son.  But, let's be honest, money is most definitely an issue and our house is not going to be growing overnight with the size of our family.  So, we are only able to have as many kids as our paychecks will allow.  Trust me, we are really pushing the limits of our paychecks to see just how many kids we can support every other week.  But I know neither Sarah nor I would have it any other way.  We are happy, all 5 of us.  

The first 3 weeks have come and gone so quickly.  Last weekend, we brought Harper and our family to Jennifer Lee Photography in Downtown Little Chute for our family pictures and Harper's newborn pictures.  We have only seen a couple of photos so far, but can not wait to see the rest of them.  That same day was Maya's Preschool Family Night at the YMCA.  For a dish to pass, Maya and I made little fruit bowls that were made to look like dolphins.  It was something I saw on Pinterest earlier that week (shared by my mother) and I must say they turned out pretty cool.    Harper has had a ton of visitors ranging from family, friends, and coworkers.  She is truly a blessed kid and lucky to have the family she does!  

Short Training Update

With it being so long since my last post, it has been even longer since I last wrote about my training.  I have registered for just about all my races for 2014 which means my race schedule for this year is just about complete.  I still need to register for the Door County Fall 50 Ultramarathon, but the registration period for that does not open until April 1st, so I still have a couple days until I even have the ability to register for that race.  There are a couple of other local races I have had my eye on that I have not registered for yet, those being the Neenah Duathlon on May 3rd and the Green Bay Triathlon on June 1st.  There are a couple of stipulations as to why I have not registered for either of these races yet.  First, the duathlon, it falls on the day after my cousins wedding.  Yea, not the best atmosphere to be in the night before a race, but we will see.  As for the GB Tri, I am scheduled to work the night before and the race starts at 7:00am in Green Bay.  I am done with work at 6:10am in Oshkosh, an hour away.  So, once again, it falls into a "we'll see" category.
As far as my training, it has been right where I want it to be for the end of March.  I am on track for the Green Bay Marathon on May 18th.  My shin/calf has been a non-issue ever since I took the three weeks off between January 6th and the 26th.  Since my 30 mile run on my 30th birthday, I have changed gears from a volume focused training plan to an intensity based training plan.  Each of my runs has a specific prescribed pace and purpose.  I have done Goal Marathon Pace workouts (6:50/mile), Tempo Runs (6:20/mile), Mile Repeats (5:30/mile), Long Runs (7:30-8:30/mile) and Easy Runs (6:50-7:50/mile).  I have still been doing intermittent bike and swim workouts between my running.  Today was actually the first day I was able to get my bike outside and actually ride outdoors.  It was about 36* when I went out the door this morning but was windy as hell.  It's always fun to do that first outdoor ride of the year, because it is always a rude awakening to remember the challenges of hills and wind.  It's so easy to forget that when your stuck indoors for hours and hours throughout the winter.

As I said, my training has been going great so far, but I find myself needing to keep myself in check.  I find that am I constantly saying, "Hey, you aren't training for an Ironman this year!"  It's like I am always wanting to do more, go longer, add an additional bike ride or swim when and where I can.  Especially now, I need to just stay focused on my primary goal of running a sub 3 hour marathon, which I think I have been doing a good job of so far.  Tomorrow I have my third Marathon Goal Pace (MGP) workout.  I have been doing these workouts with a total distance between 12-16 miles with built in longer intervals completed at MGP.  For instance, tomorrow, I am scheduled to run 3 repeats of 3 miles done at MGP with 2-3 miles rest/recovery between intervals.  My total volume is 14 miles, so I am planning on running a 3 mile warm up before my first interval and end with an easy 2 mile cool down.  These are challenging, but very rewarding workouts.  I have high expectations for these workouts and hoping that they will properly prepare me for the Green Bay Marathon in a month and half.

My first race of the year is coming up in a couple weeks with the Oshkosh Half Marathon on April 13th.  My goal is to finish around 1:23 (6:20/mile pace).  If I am able to run a 1:23 half, I will feel very confident in running a 2:59 marathon a month later.  The only caveat is that I work the night before and after the race.  So fatigue will definitely play a factor.  I will still go out and try to run a 1:23 race, but my expectations are not nearly as high as they would be if I was not working the night before.

Our SWAT Team did a Photo shoot with a local newspaper
to recognize our SWAT Team of the Year Award.
This was one of the pictures taken.  Yes, that's me on the left.

With everything falling in place with our family and Sarah and I getting back into a routine, I plan on writing a little more regularly about my family and training life.

So....until next time!
Be fast, be strong, and carry on!

A Full House

It's hard to imagine exactly how you're going to feel when you get the call from your significant other when they call to say they think they are going into labor.  Especially being a guy.  I'll be completely honest, I have never grown to feel the love of a child before they were born.  It was always hard for me to feel that emotion when there is nothing tangible there.  Don't get me wrong, I obviously love the idea of the unborn child and I absolutely adore the child that will be coming, but I have never grown attached to the unborn child.  I have now gone through 3 pregnancies, 3 labors, and 3 births.  Each and every one was just as different as the child that has come as a result.  I still remember the exact details of when Sarah called me to tell me she was pregnant with each of the 3 kids.  I recall getting the call of her telling me either her water broke or she thought she was going into labor.  And I vividly reproduce the births of each of my daughters.  I'm not claiming to be a birthing expert or a pregnancy pro, but I feel I can at least say, "been there, done that."

During each of Sarah's past 3 pregnancies, she has always asked me, "do you love our baby?"  Referring to her enormous baby bump.  I would be upfront with her and simply say, "honestly....no."  I totally understand the love of a mother and her unborn child.  I could never imagine going through a pregnancy, let along labor and giving birth. I give every single mother out there so much credit and will never second guess a women when she talks about her labor or the pains and discomforts of being pregnant.  Women are amazing creatures.  But, for a father to say they love there unborn child, I feel, is a lie.  Sure, we love the idea of whats yet to come, but I have always found it difficult to have a true love for each of our daughters while they resided inside Sarah.

I have found, though, that all goes right out the window the second you see your new child.  You are overcome with joy, you smile from ear to ear, and your heart overflows with love.  It's the coolest feeling in the world.  One second your a husband, the next second your a father.  For me, this time around, I went from a father of two, to a father of 3.  I have been fully honest and forthcoming with my feelings and reservations about having a third child.  Sarah, I, and our daughters were happy, we were content.  Our lives were great, simple, and we had a routine.  Our lives worked.  We had things figured out.  Our family was complete....or so I thought.  Then the entire "I want to do an Ironman" thing happened, which brought on the whole "if you do an Ironman, you're giving me a third kid" thing.  I was happy with a family of 4.  Three kids scared me.  But I really wanted to do that damn Ironman.  I agreed to the deal and then right in the heart of my IM training, we learned that Sarah was pregnant...again.

Over the next 9 months, I would have mental debates with myself figuring out if having a third kid would be as easy/great as Sarah made it out to be or if it would be an absolute hell.  I kept telling myself that I was crazy for agreeing to have a third kid and that the Ironman wasn't worth the life of miserableness.  As the due date approached the reality of having our third kid became more unavoidable.  We bought a new car to handle the bigger family, we moved Delaney into Maya's bedroom with new bunk beds, we put together a ton of new baby furniture, and we bought all the new baby "stuff" to be prepared for when the new baby arrived.

This past Thursday, Harper Jean Kohl came into our lives, and every single feeling of doubt, fright, nervousness, anxiousness, and regret was immediately replaced with the feeling of love and joy.  It's an amazing transformation for the father.  We go from the idea of loving an unborn child to truly loving a new life that we are fulling responsible for helping bring into this world.  I believe that a women starts loving their new child as soon as they conceive, but the father doesn't truly love the child until the baby arrives.  It's a blessing that a mother gets the special bond and connection with the child before it's actually born, but a father isn't lucky enough to share that bond before hand.  I'm not complaining, but the process that a father goes through during birth is just as amazing as the birth process itself.  The emotions and the change that occurs when the father's child arrives is something I hope every man gets to experience at least once in their life.  It's an amazing feeling and there is absolutely no way I can truly explain it.

The Birth Story

Both Maya and Delaney were born at 38 weeks to the date, exactly 2 weeks prior to their scheduled due dates.  Harper's due date was March 26th, which had me convinced that she would be born on March 12th.  March 12th came and went with no signs of coming.  Harper would officially be the longest baby Sarah would carry.  I had SWAT training from 8-4pm on Thursday and Sarah also worked a full day of work.  At 4:00pm I was walking out of the Sheriff's Office after training was done, and I received a text message from Sarah, saying that she felt like she had been having contractions all day and that she was calling our family doctor for a suggestion on how to proceed.  Our doctor requested her to go to the hospital and get evaluated.  Sarah was just getting out of work, so she drove directly to the hospital from her job in Green Bay and I did the same from my work in Oshkosh.  We both arrived at Appleton Medical Center around the same time and went directly to the Birth Center.  The hooked Sarah up to a couple of monitors that record her contractions and the baby's heart rate.  It was about 5:00/5:30 and her contractions where about 2-6 minutes apart and she was about 4cm dilated.  The nurse said that she would recheck her in about an hour to an hour and a half and then call our doctor with the updates.  If Sarah would make any progress they would keep us there until the baby arrives and if not, they would send us home.  Sarah and I then walked the halls of the hospital for about an hour to help her cope with the pains of the contractions.  At 7:00pm, the nurse came back to recheck her.  At this time her cervix had softened up a little bit and they decided that they would admit her and have her stay until the baby comes.  We were told that our family doctor (who is also Sarah's OB) would be at the hospital around 7:45 and would come and attempt to break Sarah's water to help the birth process along.  We had the feeling that the baby would be born in the early morning hours of the 14th (1am-4am).  Knowing this, Sarah sent me home to get her bags and stuff we had all packed up for the actual day that Harper was born.  I left the hospital around 7:15am and went home to change out of my work clothes, feed the dog, and grab some stuff for the next couple days for Sarah.

While I was at home, I received a call from Sarah around 7:40, saying that her water had just broke, so I should hurry up and make my way back to the hospital.  I was just packing up the car with the stuff so I was just about to leave anyway.  I left our house around 7:45.  While I was on my way back to the hospital, my phone rang again, this time it was a number I didn't recognize.  It was our nurse.  She sounded frantic and a little panicked.  She asked me where I was.  I said I was on my way and be there ASAP, about 5 minutes.  She said, "well, Sarah's delivering, so hurry!"  I hung up and said, "Are you F@#*ING kidding me?!?" out loud with a large grin on my face.  I got there as quick as I could.  Sarah's parents also just got to the hospital just before I did and Sarah's dad and brother parked my vehicle which allowed me to just pull right up front.  They also brought all the stuff upstairs for me.  I ran up to the room as quick as I could.  It was 8:08 when I walked into the room and Harper had already made her appearance.  I looked at Sarah, laughed, and said, "are you serious?"  We just looked at each other and chuckled.  We didn't say anything else, we just both laughed at the fact that I had just missed the entire birth of our daughter.

Neither of us were upset though.  Sarah was seriously born to give birth.  She is an amazing woman.  She is notorious for incredibly fast and easy births.  Granted, easy is all relative.  I still can only imagine the pain of birth, but I digress.  Sarah's water broke at 7:38pm and Harper was officially born at 8:01pm, just 23 minutes later.  Amazing.  Literally everybody missed it- our families, Sarah's sister, our doctor, and yup, even daddy.  Harper was delivered by 3 nurses.  They didn't even have time to set up the room for birth.

Harper has been adjusting great to her new life and her family.  She weighed 7lbs 7oz, was 20" long, and had a 34cm head.  She has been struggling to eat which isn't as bad as it initially may sound.  Her nurse thinks that since the birth was so quick, she didn't have the opportunity to squeeze out all of the amniotic fluids which normally happens with "normal" births.  So they think that her stomach still has some residual fluids in it which typically leaves a baby feeling "hung over."  This feeling is what is keeping her from eating regularly, but should subside after that fluid is excreted through general digestion or by vomiting.  Either way, she has only lost 7oz in 36 hours, which is actually the least amount of weight any of our kids have lost in that same time frame.  So, there is little cause for worry at this time, it's just something we are monitoring.  Other wise, mommy and baby are doing well and looking forward to starting our new life as a family of 5!

Delaney Singing to Harper

The Twin Cities and An Important Announcement

It has been nearly a full year since Sarah and I have seen our close friends from college.  We last seen the Danley's over the holiday season last year and same for the Mork's.  However, Sarah did see the Mork's over the summer for their son's birthday party.  But I was unable to be there due to my work schedule.  So for the most part, it has been nearly a year since we have spent any quality amount of time with either the Mork's or Danley's.  A lot has changed since then.  The Danley's have had their first child and the Mork's have added another son to their family.  I feel guilty, because the only reason Sarah and I never made the trip to the Twin Cities to visit their new additions was because of my unwillingness to sacrifice training time from my Ironman training.

With the Ironman well behind us now, this was the soonest we were able to make the nearly 5 hour trip to the greater St. Paul area and visit our friends.  Sarah and I have known both the Mork's and Danely's since our Sophomore year of college.  I actually met Erik Mork my freshman year of college when I attempted (foolishly) to play football at UW-La Crosse.  I won't go into too much detail in regards to how Dave and I met, but let's just say it involved me wearing nothing but a cowboy hat - nothing like a first impression, right?!  Sarah, knew Dana since Sarah's sophomore year of college when she was neighbors with her in their dorm hall.  Liz was a late comer to the group, but ultimately started dating Dave our senior year of college, but immediately fit right in.  One thing ultimately led to another and before you knew it Erik and Dana were married and the same with Dave and Liz and we were all grown up and moving on in life.  Erik and Dana moved down south to Georgia and Dave and Liz returned to Dave's home town near Minneapolis and Sarah and I returned home in the Fox Cities.  Since graduating college the 6 of us have remained very close friends and have been through a lot.  It's crazy to think of where we have all been together, starting as friends in college and now seeing each of us starting our own families together.

Sarah and I left for the Twin Cities on Friday after Sarah's first ultra sound appointment (more to come on that later).  We packed up the girls and were on the road around 10:30am.  The ride there was uneventful, which is always a good thing when you are traveling with a 2 and 4 year old.  After getting to Dave and Liz's place around 3:30, we got all caught up and made plans for dinner.  Saturday was a wet and dreary day, and Erik was stuck at work (a Fire Fighter for St. Paul FD).  We decided to visit Erik's fire station so the kids and see the trucks and such.  The fire station was a true "old school" fire station, complete with multiple fire poles, old hay stalls (for the horses), and many old fire rescue "tools" hanging up as antique decorations (one was an old catch net, used to catch people off of tall buildings). Even though I was expecting to see multiple fire fighters sitting around cooking, sleeping, or watching TV (joking :) ), I thought the fire station was actually pretty cool - and this is coming from a cop ;)  Plus the kids thought it was neat.  After the visit to the station, we were originally planning on going to the St. Paul Children's Museum, but it was getting late, so we brought the kids to the Mall of America to grab a late lunch and take the kids to the Lego Land Display and Amusement Park area.

Before we knew it, the weekend was over.  Although we don't get together nearly as often as any of us would like, we say the same thing every time we do get together - that no matter how long it has been since we have last seen each other, it's like we have never been apart.  The Mork's and Danley's are truly some of our closest friends and we always will be close friends, but the truth is we all have followed our lives to different parts of the Midwest.  I am thankful for the fact that we are only a 5 hour drive away, compared to being separated by the entire country as we were a couple years ago when the Danley's were in Las Vegas and the Mork's were near Atlanta.  Now, with the Danley's and Mork's both in the Twin Cities and us in Eastern Wisconsin, it should be much easier for us to get together on a more regular basis.  Having close friends like them is a true blessing.  It's real special to see all of our children interact with each other as well.

The sealed envelope...

After returning home Sunday, we had made dinner plans with both Sarah's family and my family for an important announcement.  See, on Friday, at Sarah's ultra sound appointment we made the last minute decision to find out the sex of our child.  We have not done this with either of our two previous children, but figured we would find out with #3.  We asked the ultra sound tech to not tell us verbally, but rather, write it on a piece of paper and put it into an envelope for us to reveal to our extended families all at the same time.  All weekend, I was working with Maya to learn to read "Boy" and "Girl."  Our plan was to go out to dinner on Sunday night and have Maya open the envelope and tell everyone what Baby Kohl #3 would be.  We were all pretty excited.  Was it going to be a boy and give me my son, or would it be girl number three and keep me as the lone man of the household?  Maya stood up on a chair and opened the envelope and announced to everyone that we would be having......ANOTHER GIRL!

Honestly, I am A-OK with having another girl.  Yes, I wanted my son.  I wanted another guy on my team, but at least this way, we will not have to overhaul all of our baby supplies, and all I know is baby girls, dolls, princesses, and pink and purple.  Ultimately, all I care is that the baby is healthy.  Yes, its cliche to say, but its the truth, ask any parent.  I love my daughters to death and would never ask for them to be a boy.  I know that baby #3 will be the same.  I am getting more and more excited to watch us bring yet another life into this world and teach it all the things that we love to do.  I can't wait to watch all of my kids grow up and hopefully find great friends and build relationships with other great kids.  Hopefully they will find friends as great as the ones Sarah and I are fortunate to have in our lives...