(Internal) derby bruises, and my Bruiser

There have been more than a few occasions this week that I've found myself thinking, "What the HELL have I gotten myself into?". Then I remember that yes, while falling (and bouncing) on my ass while skating is painful and slightly humiliating, I want to do this.

My skating skills are nowhere near where I'd like them to be, but I'm working on it. That's all I can do, right? I've gone to as many Open Skates as a I can, even though I had to miss the PFM practice on Sunday due to exhaustion (read: 2.5 hours of sleep the night before). My main goals? Crossovers, crossovers, crossovers.

Tryouts for Rat City are Wednesday, August 11th. I have this sinking feeling that I will (1) not only be passed over, but (2) asked to get my ass off the track before I hurt someone. I wonder if my in-laws will let me skate indoors... or my work...

Happy topic anyone? (I'm bumming myself out with my pity-party crap.)

Bruce turns 7 months-old tomorrow...!
My sweet Bruiser; he's 22 lbs of drooling, grasping, stomping love and I can't get enough of him. He's learning how to wave 'Hi' and 'Bye' right now - he started doing it on his own! - and it's adorable, even if it's completely off. Seriously, he'll make this scooping motion with his hand, with his arm stretched out towards the person he's directing it to. Admirable, but hilarious!

What else? He's going through a mini growth-spurt... again... which means we've had to increase his food intake from one serving of baby food a day to two or three, depending on his mood. His favorite form of mush? Butternut squash, and anything with apple in it. He's also a big fan of the Pear & Mango combo his grandpa brought home. He's still taking more than a full day's worth of formula on top of that! He comes from healthy stock...? HA! His two bottom teeth keep shooting up, making his love-bites pretty painful at times. I don't see signs of any more teeth coming in, but basically once a kids starts teething, a tooth can come in at any time over the next two years. *whimper*

So, between work, family, derby, school, and attempting to see friends, my life has suddenly become very, very full. I'm amazed at how quickly things can change... and how some things never ever seem to.

Oh, sweet Jesus...

Sometimes, just sometimes, I wonder if I'm clinically insane.
I wonder what it would be like for a group of psychologists (A herd? A gaggle? A cult?) to study my brain and the crazy way it processes things.

I'm referring, of course, to my decision to tryout for the Rat City Roller Girls derby teams next month. It's not crazy that I want to get into roller derby; I think this sport was created for me, and I couldn't have found it at a better time in my life. Trying out, though? Maybe not the wisest idea. It isn't just that the thought of skating in front of a bunch of tough, experienced chicks is terrifying (which, by the way, it kind of is), but it's also the fact that I've only skated twice now in the last decade. A decade. DECADE.

*breathe*

It's like Steve said, though; I can't expect to be perfect at everything on the first go-round.
Yes, my skating is stiff... but I haven't fallen down yet.
Yes, I need to work on my crossovers... but I haven't broken a femur. Yet.

I was at Skate King last night for an Adult Skate, and was the only one there in full gear. I felt a little out of place, especially since I couldn't skate nearly as well as most people on the rink, but it felt good to get a little more practice just being on my skates.

Oh, yeah! I got skates!
A nice, easy pair of R3s. Just basic black, nothing fancy. It's just cool to have my first pair, knowing that they're going to be with me for a while.

I guess that's it for now. Tryouts are on August 11th and 12th, so under a month away. I'm still trying to work in time to practice after I get off work or on the weekends when Steve can watch Bruce. I think that's going to be the hardest part of derby; making the time for practices and bouts. I feel so guilty even taking 20 minutes for a shower, let alone driving out to Bellevue or Lynnwood multiple times a week.

We'll figure this out. Derby is already too much fun...

Good things come in pairs, apparently!

I spoke about a week too soon; Bruce has TWO teeth! *Squeeeeee!*

Both his bottom right and bottom left middle teeth are coming in and, while it renders him completely miserable and fussy, I couldn't be more proud. How silly does that sound, by the way... being proud of my child's emerging teeth? It's not like he or I have any say over it, or the rate that they come in. I guess I'm just so amazed by how quickly he's growing. He's my little giant.

Next topic up for discussion?





Yep... I'm going to look into Roller Derby!!!!!