Randoms

• Neck surgery- I am not as self conscious about neck as I thought I would be, partially because I think that the doctor did a great job stitching me up. The swelling seems to be mostly gone, but I'm still having some odd gagging moments on food which I never had before. I am putting Mederma on it at least twice a day and trying to keep it out of the sun as much as possible.

In the car after getting the stitches out 6 days after surgery

My neck today 17 days after surgery (plus a heat wrap because I did something funny to my back/neck/shoulder this morning)

• I went for my first run since November last Wednesday, and then again on Friday and again on Sunday. So far feeling pretty good and taking it fairly easy by only running 2 miles or so. I walk every .5 miles and I'm staying just under 12 minute miles. I'm pleasantly surprised that I have that level of fitness for running since it has been 8 months, but losing 25 pounds and doing Beachbody workouts instead probably play a big part! I am using this calf stretcher every day and still using the night splint because I don't want the plantar fasciitis to come back. So far so good (fingers crossed).

Worth every penny

• This past week we moved Wes to a forward-facing seat that we call the "big boy seat." He LOVES the fact that he is now facing the same way as Izzy, I love that I have more room for my knees in CP's car as it was getting very tight with his backward-facing seat, and it will be easier to people to get to the third row of seats on both sides of the car. I would have loved to have kept him backward facing for longer, but it wasn't really safe for me being scrunched in the front if we were to have an accident.

Happy Wes in his big boy car seat

• Last weekend we took the kids to the butterfly exhibit at the Chicago Botanic Gardens and they loved it. Poor Izzy wanted a butterfly to land on her, but no dice again this year.

Huge South American yellow moth

Wes was amazed that a butterfly landed on CP's hat

•  Last week we have been keeping the cats entertained (or annoyed) by a fidget spinner. Cocoa in particular will hit it with his paws and/or his face to try to stop it. It's pretty funny

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  Marshmallow hasn't freaked out since this post so maybe she is feeling more comfortable these days?

  
  
  

• It was in the 90s and super hot this weekend so Saturday night before dinner we had a dance party to burn off some energy. The kids really enjoying bouncing to "Bouncing Around the Room."

• I'm getting frustrated with my job search. I have had three meetings with three different career coaches, the last one telling me that I should start to do a lot of informational interviews to see what I would be interested in doing since it will be a major career change after 10 years in my job. I have so far had three informational interviews with people from three very different industries and am looking to have more to try to expand my network. I have applied to three jobs, all of them were still open as of last week so who knows if I will get called in for an interview for any of them right now. I don't want to move just to move, but I am really ready to change jobs. Hopefully soon.....