I’ve mentioned this before, but I’ll say it again, I’ve got some AMAZING friends, and I’m so very thankful for them. They are the kinds of friends that motivate, challenge, support, assist, and best of all (if there had to be a best) laugh with you when you need it the most.
In this group of friends, there are a few of us that have been working out, trying to kick our butts back in to shape, or train for a run/race, whatever. In June, we did an Ab Challenge together, only took 15 minutes or so, 5 different exercises, and we did it almost every day since June 11 or so. The July challenge is going to be Jillian Michaels Yoga Meltdown. Deal is since most of us are also running or otherwise working out so we will do the Meltdown four days a week. Hmm…I run three days a week, so I guess that means July 1 marks the day of my first month of attempting to work out every day. Considering my first run/race is August 1, let’s hope I can still walk at the end of the month!
We’re doing measurements and before and after pictures (for ourselves), nothing more humbling than that! And to report on the running outside effort, it is improving, my legs are getting more used to the concrete, shin splints aren’t as bad as they were, and I actually find it more motivating to run outside than at the gym but I sure do miss that AC!
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
18 Months Old!
Yesterday was Brenna’s 18-month “birthday” and her check-up as well. She did pretty great at the appointment, until the nurse I’m going to call turtle came in to give her the shots at the end. I have to say, nothing makes me want to reach out and slap a nurse more than seeing her move at a snail’s pace while stabbing my child with multiple needles. She even hummed. Really? Ok, moving on now…
Brenna weighed in at 24 lbs. 1 oz. putting her in the 47th percentile, and measured at 32 ¾ inches tall landing her in the 84th percentile. She is on track with her fine motor and verbal skills, and way ahead as always on the physical side of things. He said she looks healthy and hopes to not see us back there until her 2 year check up, that would be so nice!!!
I haven't posted pictures in a LONG time, so here are a couple recent ones of the girls, courtesy of Rachel, so that you can remember what they look like!
Brenna weighed in at 24 lbs. 1 oz. putting her in the 47th percentile, and measured at 32 ¾ inches tall landing her in the 84th percentile. She is on track with her fine motor and verbal skills, and way ahead as always on the physical side of things. He said she looks healthy and hopes to not see us back there until her 2 year check up, that would be so nice!!!
She received three shots yesterday, one of which was the new and improved Prevnar vaccine, which now vaccinates against 13 strains instead of 7. Sammie is going to have an impromptu visit soon for one herself, which will be SO much fun! (read sarcasm here, a lot of it...) Hoping this new vaccine will help keep my girls healthier this winter. We had a blood panel done on Sammie in the spring that revealed her antibodies weren’t as mature as they should be for fighting certain strains of pneumococcal, and our pediatrician felt that this new vaccine would cover those that she was weak on. We didn’t test Brenna, as they always catch the same thing at the same time, so the hope is that this will be a “fix” for them both! Keep your fingers crossed everyone!
Friday, June 11, 2010
The Run
Well, I have done it. I have officially lost my mind. I just got done registering for my very first run. Unable to find a 5K that worked out timing and location wise sooner, I chose a 5 mile run on August 1. I refuse to use the word ‘race’ and me in the same sentence, so we are going with ‘run’. I would consider it a huge, HUGE accomplishment if I could run the whole time, but I am not that crazy. My goal for this first one is simply to complete it, running as much of it as I possibly can.
Here’s my biggest problem at this point, I NEED to start running outside. I run, but I run inside on a treadmill at the gym. I need to get adjusted to the outside, with no a/c, no fan blowing on me, no TV in front of me, with horrible humidity and no peppy music pumping in the background—wait, that last one I can do…
So on the nights that I do not go to the gym, (not all but some) I'll be working on my outdoor running stamina, if you don't hear from me in a week, please send help...
Wish me luck, I’ll need it, I have less than two months to get ready!
Psst…oh yeah, a milestone for me today, my weigh in this morning left me at a 10 pound deficit since I started (this is week 13). I’ve been in the best mood ever since!!
Here’s my biggest problem at this point, I NEED to start running outside. I run, but I run inside on a treadmill at the gym. I need to get adjusted to the outside, with no a/c, no fan blowing on me, no TV in front of me, with horrible humidity and no peppy music pumping in the background—wait, that last one I can do…
So on the nights that I do not go to the gym, (not all but some) I'll be working on my outdoor running stamina, if you don't hear from me in a week, please send help...
Wish me luck, I’ll need it, I have less than two months to get ready!
Psst…oh yeah, a milestone for me today, my weigh in this morning left me at a 10 pound deficit since I started (this is week 13). I’ve been in the best mood ever since!!
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Working Out - Week 10
I posted here that I had gotten back to working out again. This is week ten for me, and it is going well. So far, no one has had to rush over and resuscitate me, and Rachel has even gotten me running now! I can hardly believe it. After just two weeks of running, I talked myself (with her encouragement of course) into trying for a 5K race this summer. We’ll see how it goes. I have been improving slowly, so I’m hopeful though!
In these ten weeks, I have noticed some changes that were my motivation to get back in shape in the first place. First, and most importantly to me, I feel better, I have more energy, and when Sammie says to me, “mommy chase me” I no longer want to tell her “mommy’s too tired, baby”. Second, I’m sleeping better! Granted most of our work outs going until ten at night, which puts me in bed after showering and coming down from the adrenaline high somewhere between eleven and midnight, this leaves me usually with about five hours sleep, but they are five good hours of sleep! And finally, my clothes are fitting better. I have lost six pounds, and I’ll freely admit that after ten weeks, I expected that number to be higher, but I am older and had farther to go to get in shape this time than I ever have been before, so I’m being patient, or trying to anyway!
This week though, I had some nice milestones to boost my motivation a little in place of big numbers on the scale!
1) My dress for my SIL’s wedding in two weeks fit! (I ordered it one size smaller, which is exactly one size bigger than my wedding dress was, six years and two babies ago!)
2) While working out with Rachel this week, we noticed two friends watching our exercise, this is something we were doing when we first started, and Rachel and I had to laugh when she said “OMG Kelly! It’s finally happened!!”
3) I ran for one mile this week without stopping at all
4) I had four different people tell me that they could tell I’ve been working out, hubby included!
I had a thought last week of how I would like to celebrate and “treat myself” once I lose more weight. In addition to some new clothes, I’m going to hire Rachel to take some pictures of me and my girls. I have very few pictures of me with them both, and even fewer that I like the way I look in. Since they were my primary motivation for taking better care of myself and getting back into shape, I want to get a picture of me with them and put in on my bedroom wall to always remind myself that they are my best motivation.
For Mother’s Day to support these goals, I bought myself two gifts. One, a new pair of running shoes, which were very necessary! And two, the frame that I will put that picture in. The frame has the perfect saying of exactly what I want for my girls as they grow up:
Dance like no one is watching
Love like you’ll never get hurt
Sing like no one is listening
And live like it is Heaven on Earth
In these ten weeks, I have noticed some changes that were my motivation to get back in shape in the first place. First, and most importantly to me, I feel better, I have more energy, and when Sammie says to me, “mommy chase me” I no longer want to tell her “mommy’s too tired, baby”. Second, I’m sleeping better! Granted most of our work outs going until ten at night, which puts me in bed after showering and coming down from the adrenaline high somewhere between eleven and midnight, this leaves me usually with about five hours sleep, but they are five good hours of sleep! And finally, my clothes are fitting better. I have lost six pounds, and I’ll freely admit that after ten weeks, I expected that number to be higher, but I am older and had farther to go to get in shape this time than I ever have been before, so I’m being patient, or trying to anyway!
This week though, I had some nice milestones to boost my motivation a little in place of big numbers on the scale!
1) My dress for my SIL’s wedding in two weeks fit! (I ordered it one size smaller, which is exactly one size bigger than my wedding dress was, six years and two babies ago!)
2) While working out with Rachel this week, we noticed two friends watching our exercise, this is something we were doing when we first started, and Rachel and I had to laugh when she said “OMG Kelly! It’s finally happened!!”
3) I ran for one mile this week without stopping at all
4) I had four different people tell me that they could tell I’ve been working out, hubby included!
I had a thought last week of how I would like to celebrate and “treat myself” once I lose more weight. In addition to some new clothes, I’m going to hire Rachel to take some pictures of me and my girls. I have very few pictures of me with them both, and even fewer that I like the way I look in. Since they were my primary motivation for taking better care of myself and getting back into shape, I want to get a picture of me with them and put in on my bedroom wall to always remind myself that they are my best motivation.
For Mother’s Day to support these goals, I bought myself two gifts. One, a new pair of running shoes, which were very necessary! And two, the frame that I will put that picture in. The frame has the perfect saying of exactly what I want for my girls as they grow up:
Dance like no one is watching
Love like you’ll never get hurt
Sing like no one is listening
And live like it is Heaven on Earth
Friday, April 16, 2010
Milestones - April 2010
This week I took the girls for their check-ups. Together; at the same time. I thought it would be easier. It was not. It may have been except for the 50 minute wait to see the doctor, by which time both girls were in total melt down mode; but thankfully Grandma was with us to lend an extra set of hands!
This was Sammie’s four-year check-up, and the first where she got to answer all the questions. Of course, she came down with a terrible case of shyness and whispered all her answers to our doctor, but he did get his answers and determined that she is on track in most areas, and as always, ahead of the curve on vocabulary and pronunciation. The one area we need to work more on with Sammie, which we already knew was letter and number recognition. She is able to spell and write her first name, she has known all her colors since she was two, and can currently count to twenty in English and ten in Spanish. She weighed in at a whopping 29 pounds putting her in the sixth percentile, and measured 37 ½ inches putting her in the tenth percentile. So Sammie remains our petite little monkey as always!
For Brenna this was her fifteen month check-up, and she was happy as always to be in the doctor’s office; not so much. We were a little worried that we were not doing as good with Brenna on working with her on speech. Not that we are comparing, but Sammie has always been verbal and way ahead of the curve on vocabulary. While we understand that every child is different, I was worried that I wasn’t working with Brenna as well as we did with Sammie. So I was very happy to hear our doctor tell us that she’s actually ahead on speech (she says a lot of different words, just not consistently, and understands complex instructions), especially for a second child, and is WAY ahead on gross motor skills. When he asked if she climbs, I informed him that we find her on top of the kitchen table on a regular basis. Brenna weighed in at 23 ½ pounds putting her in the fifty sixth percentile and measured 31 ½ inches long putting her in the seventy fourth percentile.
Most importantly, both girls are HEALTHY and doing very well! Despite having to get two shots, Brenna was cheered up later in the day, and Sammie was thrilled that she escaped having any at this visit. (it has now become THE question when I tell her that we are going to see the doctor)
This was Sammie’s four-year check-up, and the first where she got to answer all the questions. Of course, she came down with a terrible case of shyness and whispered all her answers to our doctor, but he did get his answers and determined that she is on track in most areas, and as always, ahead of the curve on vocabulary and pronunciation. The one area we need to work more on with Sammie, which we already knew was letter and number recognition. She is able to spell and write her first name, she has known all her colors since she was two, and can currently count to twenty in English and ten in Spanish. She weighed in at a whopping 29 pounds putting her in the sixth percentile, and measured 37 ½ inches putting her in the tenth percentile. So Sammie remains our petite little monkey as always!
For Brenna this was her fifteen month check-up, and she was happy as always to be in the doctor’s office; not so much. We were a little worried that we were not doing as good with Brenna on working with her on speech. Not that we are comparing, but Sammie has always been verbal and way ahead of the curve on vocabulary. While we understand that every child is different, I was worried that I wasn’t working with Brenna as well as we did with Sammie. So I was very happy to hear our doctor tell us that she’s actually ahead on speech (she says a lot of different words, just not consistently, and understands complex instructions), especially for a second child, and is WAY ahead on gross motor skills. When he asked if she climbs, I informed him that we find her on top of the kitchen table on a regular basis. Brenna weighed in at 23 ½ pounds putting her in the fifty sixth percentile and measured 31 ½ inches long putting her in the seventy fourth percentile.
Most importantly, both girls are HEALTHY and doing very well! Despite having to get two shots, Brenna was cheered up later in the day, and Sammie was thrilled that she escaped having any at this visit. (it has now become THE question when I tell her that we are going to see the doctor)
Monday, April 12, 2010
Happy 4th Birthday Sammie!!!
I can hardly believe that our little Sammie is four years old today! Mo-Mo, The Mo-ster, Sammie Bug, Mo-Mo-licious, Monkey, Pumpkin; all nicknames we have had for her over the last four years.
Sammie is an amazing little girl (I’m not biased at all, am I?). She’s incredibly attune to other’s feelings and expressions, and can’t stand to see anyone upset (except maybe her little sister sometimes…). She’s our little princess, with the vivid imagination. She likes to play rough and tumble, and then turn around and make beds for all her animals and read her “babies” bed time stories. She is extremely smart and can figure things out seemingly at the speed of light. (Read here, she had Daddy’s iPhone down before I even knew how to turn it on!) She is fiercely independent and wants to do just about everything herself, but on her own time, she’ll come over and ask for some snuggle time or to lay with you and watch a movie. She is extremely meticulous, although I have no idea where she gets it from ;-) She’s a complete daddy’s girl, but then also a mommy’s girl too. She loves her little sister, and although she is rougher with her than we would like at times, she’s intensely protective of her, and won’t even let her friends at school come by her.
We have watched you grow from a little baby…
To a toddler…
To a big sister…
To a pre-schooler…
Watching her grow from a baby to a little girl has been an incredible experience. I’ve had frustrations, particularly the age of three; however my joys over the past four years have been more than I could ever have imagined and so much more than I feel like I can describe. The best way to sum it up is what I have heard from others; it is like having your heart walk outside your body, all the time, every day. I have enjoyed each and every day of her life, and feel extremely blessed to be a part of it.
We are so very proud of our little Princess Sammie; of her heart, her mind, her love, her smiles, her sass, her giggles, her tender kisses for boo-boos, her hugs, her kisses, her snuggles, her humor, her expression, her dancing, her outgoing behavior; from the top her head, to the tips of her toes, we love her to pieces, always and forever. Happy Birthday Angel, we love you so very much!!!
And then...
…And then she was here!
Samantha Morrow Carr was born at 10:13 a.m., weighing in at 6 lbs. 13 oz. and measuring 19 ¼ inches long.
Proud Papa...
Proud Mommy...
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