08 May 2012

New Kid Turns 2!

Two already? How can it be? Still a petite little girl you eat all the time but very little at meals. You love to "nack" all day long; particularly whatever someone else is eating. Sleep is still your favorite thing; getting 11-12 hours each night and napping 3-4 hours every afternoon. I think this is what has kept you so healthy and so happy for your first 2 years. You had your first trip to the doctor - outside of routine checkups - this past December and it turned out to be nothing. Dr. A remarked how impressed he was that you hadn't been in to see him.

In the last several months your vocabulary has blossomed and you typically communicate in complete sentences. Your favorite word is "too" as in "I do that too." You want to do everything your brother and sister do and you want to tell us about it. Following directions is another positive attribute that I really hope continues into your third year and you love to be helpful. You do so many nice things for others without being asked. For example your sister was throwing a tantrum about wanting water and you just ran off to her room, retrieved her water bottle, and brought it to her. Such a sweet girl . . . .

Sweet yet willing to fight back when you want something and it is usually with your teeth. This seems to be tapering off and we all hope to see that phase come to an end. You are determined and anxious to grow up quickly. I know this new year will be a momentous one for you as you master potty training, probably transition to a big-girl bed, and start school with your big sister. These are things that are still ahead of us but knowing how quickly you have grown and matured, I predict I will be documenting these milestones one year from now.

Don't grow up too quickly precious one. Happy Birthday and Much Love, Mom

07 May 2012

Trainee


Thirty-seven years and 3 kids have made me – how shall I put it – MUSHY; or perhaps a more polite way to phrase it would be weak. Society would label me skinny and I do agree that due to exceptional genes and a moderate amount of running and hiking I’ve been able to stay pretty slim even after gaining obscene amounts of weight during each of my three pregnancies. I’d even go as far to say as I don’t look so bad . . . with clothes on.

Alas I live in the desert and wearing jeans and sweaters is not really feasible year round and soon I am going to be forced to put on a swimsuit so I have taken the inevitable leap of hiring a trainer. As I mentioned above I do enjoy hiking and running and have been known to occasionally ride my bike. I also “play” at the weights when I go to the gym and I am pretty dedicated to my weekly kickboxing class but I am not very hardcore particularly when it comes to strength training. Boy was I in for a very rude awakening!

I scheduled my first session with the trainer for this past Saturday which was unfortunate considering I had to travel last week to Atlanta for work. This meant I did not exercise in any form for 4 days, got WAY less sleep than I normally would, and ate and drank like I was back in college. (Okay, maybe that is stretching it because I certainly did not eat filet mignon in college and drank a bit more and it wasn’t nice red wine). 

So on Saturday I attended my weekly kickboxing class, ate a protein bar, and rolled into the gym with my friend (and partner on this adventure) Kris ready to kick some butt. Three minutes in and I was ready to throw up like the weaklings on Biggest Loser. I found out quickly just how weak my muscles have gotten particularly my abs (did I mention 3 large pregnancies). I did my best to power through by chugging water at every available moment and willing myself to try as hard as possible and reminding myself that I was paying for this torture.

It will be a bumpy ride but if my current soreness is any indication it will be well worth it. No pain, no gain – right? I’ll keep you posted.