So glad this latest medical ordeal is over.  Daddy and I dropped off Thomas at daycare this morning and took Charlotte to the surgery center.  Everything went surprisingly well, until I walked her back to the operating room.  All she knew was that the nice doctor was going to clean off her mole.  And she knew that wouldn’t hurt.  But I did not mention the gas mask because of how upset it made her when she had her initial mole removal.  In case you missed it, I screwed up on monitoring its healing and the spot needed to be cleaned up, re-cut and re-stitched.  So there I was in a hospital gown helping two nurses hold my daughter down as the anesthesiologist tried to cover her mouth and nose with the gas mask.  She fought us every breath until the one that relaxed her.  I didn’t get too upset.  I know it needs to be done and I was confident all would go well.  It did, thankfully.  Daddy and Mommy were by her side soon after.  Carrying her out to the car as Daddy pulled up, I could not get one thing out of my mind:  how incredibly difficult it must be for parents of children dealing with serious illness, longterm treatments and regular hospitalizations.  My prayer today is for all of us to be restored the privilege and opportunity of just tucking healthy children in bed at night and knowing they will wake up to see another day.

Covenant RIPT, Week 7:  30-minutes of strength training last night with Daddy.  Arms and legs still weak from Wednesday’s class… or I’m just too tired to bump up the machines to higher weights.

Posted under Baby Thomas: Month 19

I have written many times about the struggle to get Charlotte in her own bed and our eventual acceptance of her sleeping with us.  Recently we tried again to at least get her to start out the night in her room.  And, incredibly, with little resistance and next to no stress on us she is cooperating.  How she went from defiant to compliant virtually overnight is not clear.  The past 2 weeks, after book reading, she has hugged and kissed us good night and stayed in her bed with a light on watching sports.  That’s right, she is a girl after Daddy’s heart.  Her only request while falling asleep is football, basketball, even hockey be visible nearby.  Fine with me!  The TV is practically on mute, anyway.  She falls asleep alone and Daddy eventually shuts off her light and TV.  Some nights she ends up coming into our bed, but the last few she’s stayed in hers.  And she appears to be sleeping later as a result which is great.  Perhaps the best part is this transition has not involved any late night battles to take her back to her room and force her to stay in her bed.  We have never had to hold the door or lock ours or listen to her cry and kick and scream across the hall.  It has been a pretty calm and peaceful process.  Since so many other things involving this 3-year-old do not go as smoothly, I am thrilled the big girl bed transition is happening this way!  

Covenant RIPT, Week 7:  Another night of stations where we did non-stop, 2-minute sessions of jump roping, ab crunching, progressive sprinting and plank posing.  Does that sound as crazy as it felt?

Posted under Baby Thomas: Month 19

I am walking on air a bit today because, literally, I am lighter on my feet.  At last night’s weigh-in for Covenant’s RIPT program, I told myself going in that I would be satisfied with a 5-pound loss since I began this latest fitness challenge January 11.  Secretly, I was hoping for a bigger drop but wanted to be realistic.    You can imagine the incredible feeling that overtook me when I stepped on the scale and it revealed a 13-pound loss!!! 

BEFORE: Tara at a Christmas party in December

AFTER: Tara at Go Red this past week

 And to think I have only been at this diet and exercise thing for six weeks.  I am convinced the interval training approach is the key.  I only do cardio three days a week, but the hour-long classes involve regular bursts of intensity and rest that are supposed to maximize fat burning.  I’m sold on it.  Not to mention, I’ve shed 2% of my body fat.  The waist measurement didn’t go as well.  It showed about the same circumference, but the spot where it’s taken could have been different.  No way is my waist bigger, I can feel that in my clothes.  And bless Dave for reminding me last night that if I get on the scale naked I will be at least one more pound lighter.  Love that man and love my leaner frame!

Covenant RIPT, Week 7:

January 11/February 23

Tara’s Weight 175.8/163.2 

Tara’s Body Fat (%) 28.3/26.3

Tara’s Body Mass Index 24.5/22.7

Posted under Baby Thomas: Month 19

It was bound to happen…. maybe ten years from now.  But when it did go down at the mall play area yesterday evening, the whole incident caught me off guard.  I was sitting on the bench watching Thomas play next to a girl and her two friends.  When he walked toward her, she told Thomas something about “your granny.”  What?  Was she talking about me?  I was so stunned I had to ask her to repeat it.  Yes, she thought I was his grandma.  My only retort was to say that obviously I did not have children as early in life as her friends.  She was there with a young couple and their 2-year-old.  Not sure if the guy was the father, but I did hear him say something about taking karate with the kid.  Of course I asked their ages, 21 & 22.  It hit me later.  These “kids” were the same age as my step-daughters, so technically I could be a grandparent by marriage… back in the car, I looked at myself in the rearview mirror.  My eyes appeared tired, hair was on the frizzy side and my lipstick a bit smeared.  Two inner voices spoke to me.  The first, my self-confident one, said that chick doesn’t know what she’s talking about.  The second, insecure voice said it’s time to break out the Botox.  Not sure which one I’ll listen to.

Covenant RIPT, Week 7:  Last night’s class was another good workout.  Sprints were a part of it and it was a flashback to the eraser shuttle in grade school.  I hated that then and now.  But I know my legs are leaner and stronger than when I started this program.  Getting on the official scale tonight!

Posted under Baby Thomas: Month 19

I probably mentioned before that immediately after Thomas came out during the C-section, he seemed fairly calm and quiet compared to his sister’s arrival.  Yes, I thought, God has blessed me with a laidback baby in contrast to the wild one already here!  I could not have been more wrong.  Thomas is as high strung, temperamental, demanding and aggressive as Charlotte.  And the fact he’s a boy makes many of these traits harder to deal with.  These days he throws food and anything else not nailed down from high chairs, tables and carseats.  We try to discipline him but it’s tough to know how to handle an 18-month-old.  His latest thing is all out resistance to being put in the carseat.  I am honestly not strong enough to hold him down and strap him in when he’s arching his back and stiffening up.  Dave ends up doing it when he’s there, and even he struggles to get him in!  The fact Thomas cannot express himself yet is also frustrating.  He picks up the remote and gestures toward the TV.  But when we turn on a favorite DVD he complains about whatever comes on until we fast forward to specific parts.  Then the next day he doesn’t want to watch what he seemed to like previously.  I don’t get it.  He’s a boy, so stereotypically I thought he would be less drama.  He’s as high maintenance as his sister.  I am already thinking about what’s to come.  If I can’t physically hold my own with him at this point, will I be one of those moms on Jerry Springer who gets beaten up by her kids?  Maybe after this RIPT program is over, I should think about a self defense class.  Are you here to learn how to protect yourself in parking decks and elevators?  No, I am trying to keep my 3 and 1-year-olds from killing me.

Covenant RIPT, Week 7:  Missed Friday’s class because we went out of town.  Went to a gym with my parents Saturday morning, though, and did 15-minutes each of stairmaster, jog track and elliptical.  Also went off my diet a bit that night.  I was so mad at myself.  Weigh-in is tomorrow night!  Check back for results.

Posted under Baby Thomas: Month 19

I was 5 when my maternal grandma, Charlotte, died from a heart attack.  Today I will tell her story when I emcee the Go Red luncheon in Waterloo.  At 58, she was an overweight smoker with diabetes who thought she was having heartburn.  The doctor found Tums in her pocket.  I can’t imagine how tough that must have been for my mom, then in her early 30s, to deal with her death with my baby sister and me in tow.  The memory is vivid… I was in the backseat of my paternal grandparents’ car pulling up in front of the hospital where she died.  My dad and mom came out to meet us.  You never forget the first time you see your mom sob.  At least I haven’t.  Years later when my mom was an elementary school principal she concealed chest pain from my sister and me, but went to get it checked out.  Fortunately, nothing serious resulted.  But when she eventually told us, I shuddered to think heart disease could take her life some day.  My mom has made heart-healthier choices than her mother did, though.  This Sunday she turns 65.  And her mom’s name and memory live on in her only granddaughter, my Charlotte.     

Covenant RIPT, Week 6:  Did 45-minutes of upper and lower body strength training last night.  Feeling good about what seems to be a tighter and more toned body as a result of this program.  I’ll try to prove it when I get weighed and measured this Tuesday!

Posted under Baby Thomas: Month 19

I agree kids today are overscheduled, mine included.  But Charlotte seems to really enjoy her music, tumbling and dance classes…. and I just signed her up for summer t-ball!  Truth be told, Dave and I look forward to the pure comedy that comes out of these activities.  And some times tears and potty breaks, too.  The registration fee was so reasonable, she can quit if she hates it.  Yet she already loves hitting a ball, not just off a tee but when it’s tossed to her.  Fortunately Daddy was a college baseball player and 15-year high school baseball coach.  He shakes his head when I attempt an underhanded pitch.  The ball is plastic, give me a break!  Of course my softball career ended in 8th grade when our team’s best hitter whacked a foul ball into an adjacent practice field…where I was shagging balls for a pitcher.  Everyone shouted my name, so I looked up and the fast-moving ball smacked me in the nose.  Let’s just say the blood rose through my neck and literally shot out like a fountain.  It stained the playground blacktop for days.  I had to wear, no lie, a T-shaped plaster cast on my face for 2 weeks.  I had people initial it because it was too small for full names.  The best/worst part?  School pictures were the next day.  I still had black eyes for the retake.

Covenant RIPT, Week 6:  We did stations in class last night.  You know, where you go from activity to activity raising and dropping your heart rate?  It went well, but I naturally dreaded some of the choices.  Like push-ups on an upside down Bosu ball.  My right wrist is still screwed up from carrying Thomas in the infant carrier!

Posted under Baby Thomas: Month 19

Like his sister before him, Thomas has always been fine with doctor visits.  Until yesterday!  The kid had a massive meltdown at his 18-month check.  We’re talking screaming, arching the back, flopping the head madness.  Dave and I were dumbfounded.  He has never, ever acted like that for that long–especially away from home.  He usually loves the attention from strangers.  But the poor boy has been to the doctor four times now in one week.  We are all weary from it.  Charlotte hid under the chair when he got his shot.  His cycle of ear drops continues, after never having a problem since tubes went in last summer.  His cries at midnight led me to rock him back to sleep.  Didn’t work.  Daddy took him downstairs from 12:30-2am.  Then back in his crib, he still would not go down.  So I took him downstairs from 2:10 until my alarm went off at 3:30am!  Why not just get up an hour early?  Well, we ended up watching The Wiggles for a half-hour.  Whatever works at that point.  I am like a zombie right now.  A 90-calorie breakfast bar is my attempt at an energy boost.  A quick nap after the noon news will hopefully help keep me sane!

Covenant RIPT, Week 6:  Class tonight.  Skipped a workout last night due to the chaos of the evening!  Feeling guilty since I also missed 30-minutes of weight training last Thursday when my friend was in town.  So now I have to squeeze in an hour of weights at some point.  Lord knows when that will happen.

Posted under Baby Thomas: Month 19

You have a natural advantage in some sports, but let people down when you can’t jump high enough or spike too hard on the volleyball court.

Your baby has extra room to grow during the pregnancy, but you end up outweighing your husband by 30 pounds at delivery.

You can always see over the people in front of you at parades and the movies, but you get stuck in the back of pictures.

Long legs are nice, until your knees are shoved against the airplane seat in front of you and your pants look normal length only with flats.

Dresses and trenchcoats are never too long, but the sleeves are always too short.

More than half of the men in your life will be shorter, something they may not always be comfortable with.

Covenant RIPT, Week 6:  Last night’s class was challenging but entertaining.  All of the cardio moves on the step take me back to my aerobic instructor days.  I taught mostly step training as a part-time job in college and loved it.  This program is helping me regain that incredible endurance of my past.

Posted under Baby Thomas: Month 19

It happened so quickly.  I pulled our big SUV in to a spot at the bustling parking lot for Charlotte’s dance class Saturday morning and, stupidly, threw the car in reverse and gunned it back a few feet to straighten it out.  The stupid part was not looking when I backed up.  It felt like I was tapping a tin can when I realized something was behind us and slammed on the brakes.  Turned out to be a lady’s car.  She had pulled behind me seconds after I pulled in, so I reversed my vehicle in to the panel above her front left tire.  The amazing news, my SUV has no visible damage.  None.  A tiny, centimeter-long nick was located on the bumper by a guy at the dealership.  But nothing that would warrant a claim.  Her car, on the other hand, was smashed in pretty badly on that one spot.  So my insurance company will be paying her repair bill.  I didn’t argue with her, knew no matter how you look at it I was at fault.  So we exchanged info and l called Dave and the claim number in the parent waiting area.  Some of the other moms wondered how the conversation went with Daddy.  He would never get upset with me about something like this, I honestly told them.  We both screw up.  Years ago he backed into my car on his driveway, one of the rare times I parked it there.  Another time I backed a previous SUV into a service truck on our drive.  I forgot it was there.  So let’s see… that’s Mommy 2, Daddy 1.  Ha, ha  Charlotte later told me I should not have done that.  Mommies and Daddies make mistakes some times, too, I explained.

Covenant RIPT, Week 6:  Friday night’s class was another killer.  I call it that in a good way.  All the cardio, strength & ab work seem to be working.  Still sticking to the diet, too.  Only ate 3 tiny conversation hearts!

Posted under Baby Thomas: Month 19