If you ask Alison, she'll say moo. If you ask her about a sheep, she'll say baaa. And if you ask her to be an elephant, she'll purse her lips and blow, trying to make the trumpeting sound of an elephant, but only succeeding in getting you all wet (if you happen to be facing her).
I know all kids get to the point where they do this, and there's probably a lot of kids who have been doing it for quite some time, but I'm a first time mom. And I have a child with hydrocephalus. It's tough not knowing to what extent it's affecting her brain development, if it's affecting it at all. I think, for the most part, that she's meeting all her developmental milestones, at least the cognitive and verbal ones. Motor skills, at least gross motor, are another story.
Who knows what the future will hold for Alison. As much as we try to treat her like a normal child, she's not a normal child. We don't have a lot of expectations for her, but we do have lots of hopes for her. So for now, I will watch her and marvel at what she's learned so far, read to her, play games, sing songs, do puzzles and laugh at her when she makes an elephant sound.
Thursday, February 26, 2004
Tuesday, February 24, 2004
Mall Walking
I can't believe the things I do to further my weight loss progess. I am now a mall walker. I really hate doing that. I much prefer to walk outside. I feel guilty going for a walk and not taking the dog with me. I felt particularly bad about doing it yesterday, since he had been stuck at the kennel all weekend while we were off having a good time. But yesterday it snowed all day, dumping about 4 or 5 inches of heavy, wet snow on our town. I have made a commitment to myself to walk every afternoon (or at least every weekday afternoon), so, rather than pay to walk on the indoor track at the community center, I opted to hit the mall.
I've gotten pretty good at getting the backpack on and off with Alison in it, so I took that with me instead of the stroller. It worked out pretty well except for two things: I didn't have any place to put my coat (and no change to rent a locker) and, since I have the backpack adjusted to accomodate Alison's marshmallow suit and she sits down in it farther without it, I spent quite a bit of time with either Alison's knee in my back or her foot kicking me in the behind. Still, it wasn't a bad walk. I was able to finish my two-and-a-little-bit-more miles in 35 minutes instead of 45 minutes. I had a fellow walker tell me I was an inspiration.
Today is a beautiful, bright, sunny day. So I'll be back out pounding the sidewalk. But the next time the weather is yucky, you'll be able to find me at the mall.
P.S. I lost 2 pounds last week, bringing my grand total to 10 in the last 4 weeks.
I've gotten pretty good at getting the backpack on and off with Alison in it, so I took that with me instead of the stroller. It worked out pretty well except for two things: I didn't have any place to put my coat (and no change to rent a locker) and, since I have the backpack adjusted to accomodate Alison's marshmallow suit and she sits down in it farther without it, I spent quite a bit of time with either Alison's knee in my back or her foot kicking me in the behind. Still, it wasn't a bad walk. I was able to finish my two-and-a-little-bit-more miles in 35 minutes instead of 45 minutes. I had a fellow walker tell me I was an inspiration.
Today is a beautiful, bright, sunny day. So I'll be back out pounding the sidewalk. But the next time the weather is yucky, you'll be able to find me at the mall.
P.S. I lost 2 pounds last week, bringing my grand total to 10 in the last 4 weeks.
Family Retreat Weekend
This past weekend was our church's annual Family Retreat at Lake Louise Methodist Camp. While he was on the middle school UMYF ski trip, my husband was talked in to going. I wasn't too sure about it, but said ok. So we signed up. The camp has dormitories for men and women and also has semi-private rooms. They generally like to keep the semi-private rooms for families with small children, and it was our luck that one was still available. So, once the information for the weekend arrived, we paid for our room, made arrangements to kennel the dog, and rounded up the necessities.
Kevin had to take the dog to the vet's after lunch on Friday. I kept telling Bo that he was going on vacation to the doggy hotel, but it didn't make him feel any better. Kevin told me that as soon as the nurse at the vet's came toward Bo with the blue leash they use to take dogs back to the kennel, he took off for the door. He even refused the treat Kevin tried to give him.
Kevin got home from work at 5:00 and we were on the road by 5:30. We couldn't have asked for worse weather to be travelling in. It was incredibly foggy, getting thicker the further north we went. We stopped to eat around 6:15 (and waited in line for more than 10 minutes.....Wendy's continually redefines what "fast" food means) and were back on the road at 7:00. When we hit Gaylord, not only were we driving through pea soup fog, but then we got snow added in to the mix, as well. It was slow going, and we ended up driving past the camp on the first try, but we made it there in one piece. The rest of the evening was spent getting settled in, doing some crafty projects, and general socializing.
The semi-private room was not too bad. We had walls and a door, two beds, another bed in a loft, and our own sink. Unfortunately, you could hear a lot of noise...people slamming down the hall, kids screaming in other rooms, things like that. It would have annoyed me even if it was just me it was bothering, but it made trying to get Alison to bed (something that's difficult, at best, any night in a new place) nearly impossible. I put her down at 10 and laid down on my bed and she was still awake when Kevin came in at 11. She did finally go to sleep shortly after that. Amazingly enough, she was wide awake at 7:00 the next morning. To bad we weren't.
Breakfast went off without a hitch. Afterwards, we played a game where we counted off into small groups, took off our shoes, threw them in a pile, were blindfolded and then had to find our shoes and put them back on. After that, we had a bible study. There's nothing like trying to keep an active toddler quiet and in one spot. Alison eventually made her way all the way down to the other end of the room where the minister's kids, and their toys, were. When she got loud, Kevin grabbed her and tooke her into the dining room and let her run around in there until we were done. They came back just as we were singing again and Alison got loose, walked over to the coffee table in front of the minister and the two other men who were playing guitar and just stood there dancing and "directing" the music. She put on quite a show and everyone thought she was "soooo cute." From there we had family time until lunch. I took Alison back to our room to play with her toys (and settle down a little) and Kevin went to the store.
After lunch came the fight to get Alison to take a nap. It took almost 20 minutes, but she eventually fell asleep and stayed asleep for nearly 3 hours! Kevin and I were supposed to man the craft tables for the afternoon, but there wasn't anyone there to do crafts, because almost everyone headed out to go sledding or to one of the ski places to go tubing. We spent the afternoon playing games until Alison got up and then we went out for a walk. We weren't able to get very far because there was a lot of snow. Very deep snow. At one point, I stepped slightly off the side of the cross country ski trail and ended up almost thigh deep in snow. It didn't help that I had Alison in the backpack. I was able to get my leg out of the snow, but re-pulled a muscle in my other thigh in the process. :(
After supper, we got bundled up again and headed out for a "hike." We didn't go very far, just followed the plowed trail, but we ended up at the bonfire and stood around singing songs while others roasted marshmallows for s'mores. I was good and didn't eat any. I figured it would be better to give up s'mores at the campfire in favor of an ice cream sundae later. :)
Once we got back from the hike, we attempted to get Alison ready for bed. We had no access to a bathtub, or even a deep sink, so we just tried to wash her hair in the sink (to get the food of the day out of it) and then wipe the rest of her off with a wet washcloth. She screamed the entire time Kevin washed her hair, and then, I guess to show him how mad she was, she pee'd and pooped all over her towel while he was washing off the rest of her.
After we got the mess cleaned up and Alison was in her jammies, we headed back to the dining room to watch the square dancing. They had really gone all out and had gotten a real square dance caller to come in and teach everyone who was interested how to square dance. Alison loved the music, so Kevin and I took turns dancing around with her for a while. Then it was time for her to go to bed. She went down amazingly easily that time. I stood outside the door for a few minutes to make sure she wouldn't start screaming and wake the other babies up, but she was fine. I went back and had my ice cream. I watched Kevin play a game for a little while and then, when I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer, I went to bed.
Sunday morning, after breakfast, we had a nice, simple, worship service. Of course, we ran into that little problem of trying to keep and active toddler quiet and in one place again. It didn't work any better than Saturday morning, so Kevin and I took turns playing in the meeting room with her. After service it was time to make up a sack lunch and get packed up and ready to go. We had the option of staying through lunch, but we decided that since most everyone was leaving before lunch, we'd do the same. In hindsight, we should have waited until after lunch. Alison ended up sleeping almost the entire way home, so she had no need to take a nap in the afternoon.
Overall, I think we all had a good time. Alison loved having the big, huge dining room area to run around in, even if she did walk into a wall once. They already have the date for next year's retreat set. Depending on what's going on in our family at that time, we'll probably plan on attending.
Kevin had to take the dog to the vet's after lunch on Friday. I kept telling Bo that he was going on vacation to the doggy hotel, but it didn't make him feel any better. Kevin told me that as soon as the nurse at the vet's came toward Bo with the blue leash they use to take dogs back to the kennel, he took off for the door. He even refused the treat Kevin tried to give him.
Kevin got home from work at 5:00 and we were on the road by 5:30. We couldn't have asked for worse weather to be travelling in. It was incredibly foggy, getting thicker the further north we went. We stopped to eat around 6:15 (and waited in line for more than 10 minutes.....Wendy's continually redefines what "fast" food means) and were back on the road at 7:00. When we hit Gaylord, not only were we driving through pea soup fog, but then we got snow added in to the mix, as well. It was slow going, and we ended up driving past the camp on the first try, but we made it there in one piece. The rest of the evening was spent getting settled in, doing some crafty projects, and general socializing.
The semi-private room was not too bad. We had walls and a door, two beds, another bed in a loft, and our own sink. Unfortunately, you could hear a lot of noise...people slamming down the hall, kids screaming in other rooms, things like that. It would have annoyed me even if it was just me it was bothering, but it made trying to get Alison to bed (something that's difficult, at best, any night in a new place) nearly impossible. I put her down at 10 and laid down on my bed and she was still awake when Kevin came in at 11. She did finally go to sleep shortly after that. Amazingly enough, she was wide awake at 7:00 the next morning. To bad we weren't.
Breakfast went off without a hitch. Afterwards, we played a game where we counted off into small groups, took off our shoes, threw them in a pile, were blindfolded and then had to find our shoes and put them back on. After that, we had a bible study. There's nothing like trying to keep an active toddler quiet and in one spot. Alison eventually made her way all the way down to the other end of the room where the minister's kids, and their toys, were. When she got loud, Kevin grabbed her and tooke her into the dining room and let her run around in there until we were done. They came back just as we were singing again and Alison got loose, walked over to the coffee table in front of the minister and the two other men who were playing guitar and just stood there dancing and "directing" the music. She put on quite a show and everyone thought she was "soooo cute." From there we had family time until lunch. I took Alison back to our room to play with her toys (and settle down a little) and Kevin went to the store.
After lunch came the fight to get Alison to take a nap. It took almost 20 minutes, but she eventually fell asleep and stayed asleep for nearly 3 hours! Kevin and I were supposed to man the craft tables for the afternoon, but there wasn't anyone there to do crafts, because almost everyone headed out to go sledding or to one of the ski places to go tubing. We spent the afternoon playing games until Alison got up and then we went out for a walk. We weren't able to get very far because there was a lot of snow. Very deep snow. At one point, I stepped slightly off the side of the cross country ski trail and ended up almost thigh deep in snow. It didn't help that I had Alison in the backpack. I was able to get my leg out of the snow, but re-pulled a muscle in my other thigh in the process. :(
After supper, we got bundled up again and headed out for a "hike." We didn't go very far, just followed the plowed trail, but we ended up at the bonfire and stood around singing songs while others roasted marshmallows for s'mores. I was good and didn't eat any. I figured it would be better to give up s'mores at the campfire in favor of an ice cream sundae later. :)
Once we got back from the hike, we attempted to get Alison ready for bed. We had no access to a bathtub, or even a deep sink, so we just tried to wash her hair in the sink (to get the food of the day out of it) and then wipe the rest of her off with a wet washcloth. She screamed the entire time Kevin washed her hair, and then, I guess to show him how mad she was, she pee'd and pooped all over her towel while he was washing off the rest of her.
After we got the mess cleaned up and Alison was in her jammies, we headed back to the dining room to watch the square dancing. They had really gone all out and had gotten a real square dance caller to come in and teach everyone who was interested how to square dance. Alison loved the music, so Kevin and I took turns dancing around with her for a while. Then it was time for her to go to bed. She went down amazingly easily that time. I stood outside the door for a few minutes to make sure she wouldn't start screaming and wake the other babies up, but she was fine. I went back and had my ice cream. I watched Kevin play a game for a little while and then, when I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer, I went to bed.
Sunday morning, after breakfast, we had a nice, simple, worship service. Of course, we ran into that little problem of trying to keep and active toddler quiet and in one place again. It didn't work any better than Saturday morning, so Kevin and I took turns playing in the meeting room with her. After service it was time to make up a sack lunch and get packed up and ready to go. We had the option of staying through lunch, but we decided that since most everyone was leaving before lunch, we'd do the same. In hindsight, we should have waited until after lunch. Alison ended up sleeping almost the entire way home, so she had no need to take a nap in the afternoon.
Overall, I think we all had a good time. Alison loved having the big, huge dining room area to run around in, even if she did walk into a wall once. They already have the date for next year's retreat set. Depending on what's going on in our family at that time, we'll probably plan on attending.
Tuesday, February 17, 2004
Weekly Weigh In
I neglected to write about my weekly weigh in on Saturday. That is not because it wasn't good, but because I didn't have time. At any rate, I lost 3 pounds last week. That puts me at a net loss of 8 pounds in 3 weeks. I've also lost almost 2 inches off both my hips and my waist. Yay me!
The weather has been holding out, so we walked every day last week (well, not over the weekend, time and temperature issues then) and have been out twice this week so far. It's starting to get a little treacherous in some places, though. We've had some sunny days and some higher temps, so the snow is starting to melt. Unfortunately it's still getting really cold at night, so there are lots of icy spots on the sidewalks. It's not a whole lot of fun trying to navigate the icy trail while our dog, having already cleared the ice, is pulling me down the sidewalk. But it's good to be out of the house for a while.
I've also started doing some resistance training. There is a tubing workout on Dr. Phil's website that I had wanted to try out, but I didn't know how much the resistance tubes cost. I happened to see some at Target for $8, so I thought that was a price I could handle. :) I was sore the first day, mostly my butt and my legs, but I'm tough and only whined about it a little bit. I've decided to drop two Tae Bo workouts each week (Tuesday and Thursday) and substitute resistance training, and also do it on Saturday mornings. Since the workouts don't take as long as Tae Bo, I can sleep in an extra fifteen minutes.
I'm hoping to lose another 2 or 3 pounds this week. I think I can do it. The problem will be maintaining it over the weekend. We're going to our church's family retreat at Lake Louise. I'll just have to avoid the snack table, that's all. :)
The weather has been holding out, so we walked every day last week (well, not over the weekend, time and temperature issues then) and have been out twice this week so far. It's starting to get a little treacherous in some places, though. We've had some sunny days and some higher temps, so the snow is starting to melt. Unfortunately it's still getting really cold at night, so there are lots of icy spots on the sidewalks. It's not a whole lot of fun trying to navigate the icy trail while our dog, having already cleared the ice, is pulling me down the sidewalk. But it's good to be out of the house for a while.
I've also started doing some resistance training. There is a tubing workout on Dr. Phil's website that I had wanted to try out, but I didn't know how much the resistance tubes cost. I happened to see some at Target for $8, so I thought that was a price I could handle. :) I was sore the first day, mostly my butt and my legs, but I'm tough and only whined about it a little bit. I've decided to drop two Tae Bo workouts each week (Tuesday and Thursday) and substitute resistance training, and also do it on Saturday mornings. Since the workouts don't take as long as Tae Bo, I can sleep in an extra fifteen minutes.
I'm hoping to lose another 2 or 3 pounds this week. I think I can do it. The problem will be maintaining it over the weekend. We're going to our church's family retreat at Lake Louise. I'll just have to avoid the snack table, that's all. :)
Monday, February 16, 2004
18 Months Old
18 months ago, Alison surprised us by not wating until our scheduled c-section to make her entrance to the world. I would be lying if I did not say that I was really scared. I had so desperately wanted to make it to 37 weeks, and I was only 36 weeks 3 days. I had questions I wanted to ask my doctor. I wanted to know if her legs were moving. I wanted to know if her feet still ok, of if they were going to be clubbed. I was ready to have a baby on Aug. 22, but I was not ready to have a baby on Aug. 16.
She was born at 8:54 PM. One of the first things I remember hearing someone say was that she was moving her legs! Then, while they were cleaning her up, I heard one of the nurses say she was peeing and pooping. I asked Kevin about her feet and he said they were fine. He was running back and forth between me and her. She had some trouble breathing, so she had to go to NICU. They let me see her briefly before they took her. Kevin stayed with me until I went to the recovery room and then a nurse took him up to see Alison. Being the first Spina Bifida fetal surgery baby they had seen there, they weren't quite sure what to do with her. Kevin had some Polaroids to show me that they took of her. She was on her stomach just laying on a diaper with a big dressing covering her closure and graft sites because they didn't know if they could lay her on her back.
I didn't get to see her until 3 or 4 in the morning. I wasn't able to breastfeed right away because she was on C-PAP for her breathing difficulties. She was breathing room air the next time we went to see her, after morning shift change. With that hurdle crossed, we began to focus on the more serious aspects of her condition. How bad was her hydrocephalus? Was she going to need a shunt right away? Would she even need one at all? We hoped not. Her hydrocephalus was classified as moderate, so we just had to wait and see about the shunt, and the neurosurgeon was encouraged by her leg movement.
By the time she was 6 months old, it became apparent that she was going to need a shunt. The surgery was two days after she turned 7 months old. She did so great. We were expecting a 2-3 day hospital stay and she was home in a day and a half. It's hard to believe it's been almost 11 months. We still have the ever present possibility of shunt malfunction, but so far, she's had no problems. We are very grateful.
Alison took her first steps on Thanksgiving Day. The doctor she sees at Spina Bifida Clinic had all but assured us that she was going to be a walker several months earlier, but it was thrilling nonetheless when it actually happened. Fast forward to today and she toddles all over the place. She still trips and falls a lot and she won't stand still unless she's holding onto or leaning against something, but she's walking! It makes me laugh to see her just take off down the hall to find books in her room.
There are still a few things we don't know about. We don't know how much, if any, control she will have of her bowel and bladder, but her doctors are encouraged. They actually spoke about potty training at her last urology appointment. And they don't want to see her again for two years (unless, of course, there is a problem).
I am constantly amazed at how far she has come. We are at a point where we are able to focus on all the things she can do rather than the things she might not be able to do and no longer have to struggle to treat her like a normal little girl. To the average person on the street she is a normal, happy little girl. If Spina Bifida comes up in conversation, which usually only happens if we're letting people know she's got some pretty ugly scars on her back so they don't get a nasty surprise, people are usually shocked and tell us they never would have known.
My hope is that Alison will continue to thrive and keep exceeding the expectations we were told to have for her.
She was born at 8:54 PM. One of the first things I remember hearing someone say was that she was moving her legs! Then, while they were cleaning her up, I heard one of the nurses say she was peeing and pooping. I asked Kevin about her feet and he said they were fine. He was running back and forth between me and her. She had some trouble breathing, so she had to go to NICU. They let me see her briefly before they took her. Kevin stayed with me until I went to the recovery room and then a nurse took him up to see Alison. Being the first Spina Bifida fetal surgery baby they had seen there, they weren't quite sure what to do with her. Kevin had some Polaroids to show me that they took of her. She was on her stomach just laying on a diaper with a big dressing covering her closure and graft sites because they didn't know if they could lay her on her back.
I didn't get to see her until 3 or 4 in the morning. I wasn't able to breastfeed right away because she was on C-PAP for her breathing difficulties. She was breathing room air the next time we went to see her, after morning shift change. With that hurdle crossed, we began to focus on the more serious aspects of her condition. How bad was her hydrocephalus? Was she going to need a shunt right away? Would she even need one at all? We hoped not. Her hydrocephalus was classified as moderate, so we just had to wait and see about the shunt, and the neurosurgeon was encouraged by her leg movement.
By the time she was 6 months old, it became apparent that she was going to need a shunt. The surgery was two days after she turned 7 months old. She did so great. We were expecting a 2-3 day hospital stay and she was home in a day and a half. It's hard to believe it's been almost 11 months. We still have the ever present possibility of shunt malfunction, but so far, she's had no problems. We are very grateful.
Alison took her first steps on Thanksgiving Day. The doctor she sees at Spina Bifida Clinic had all but assured us that she was going to be a walker several months earlier, but it was thrilling nonetheless when it actually happened. Fast forward to today and she toddles all over the place. She still trips and falls a lot and she won't stand still unless she's holding onto or leaning against something, but she's walking! It makes me laugh to see her just take off down the hall to find books in her room.
There are still a few things we don't know about. We don't know how much, if any, control she will have of her bowel and bladder, but her doctors are encouraged. They actually spoke about potty training at her last urology appointment. And they don't want to see her again for two years (unless, of course, there is a problem).
I am constantly amazed at how far she has come. We are at a point where we are able to focus on all the things she can do rather than the things she might not be able to do and no longer have to struggle to treat her like a normal little girl. To the average person on the street she is a normal, happy little girl. If Spina Bifida comes up in conversation, which usually only happens if we're letting people know she's got some pretty ugly scars on her back so they don't get a nasty surprise, people are usually shocked and tell us they never would have known.
My hope is that Alison will continue to thrive and keep exceeding the expectations we were told to have for her.
Friday, February 13, 2004
Rambling (well, whining is probably more like it)
I'm feeling rather out of sorts today. It's a bright sunshiny day and it's supposed to be around 32 degrees (although it's really windy). It's the kind of day that should make me feel great, but instead I'm tired and restless and feel like I just want to cry.
My husband has been driving me crazy lately. He was griping just the other night (Wednesday, I think) that he didn't have time to go shopping for me for Valentine's Day because he had to work all day and then when he comes home he has to take care of Alison. When I pointed out that Alison is portable, and could thus go shopping with him, he said he didn't even think about that. How does he think I get my shopping done?!? I pack Alison up and hit the stores.
Several years ago we were counselors for the senior high youth group at our church. This year we are counselors for the middle school youth group. Two weeks ago was the annual ski trip for the middle schoolers. Since he loves to ski and hasn't been skiing since we did senior high, Kevin didn't even hesitate to agree to go along for this trip. Not only that, he didn't even ask if I wanted to go. He just assumed that because I don't really like to ski that I would want to stay home with Alison. So he went. Now he says he owes me a weekend to go anywhere I want to and he'll stay home with Alison. When I asked him where exactly I was supposed to go, he suggested my parents'. Wouldn't they just love if I came to visit for a weekend and didn't bring their granddaughter, whom they don't get to see very often as it is, with me?
Now he's involved with a senior high discussion group at church (I think it's part of LOGOS) on Thursday nights. They deal with a lot of tough subjects and wanted/needed a man to provide male perspective. It's supposed to be from 7:30 to 8:30. He did ask me if it would be ok and I agreed, even though it will interrupt Alison's nighttime routine, since he gives her her bath at around 8:15. But I figured he could just do her bath early, before he goes to his meeting. Last night he had to go early so he could go over things with the person in charge of the group, so I asked him to try to get out a few minutes early so he could be home by 8:30 to help get Alison ready for bed and that way she would only be about 15 minutes behind schedule (even if I had wanted to do bath last night, my knees were killing me). Not only did he not leave early, he stayed late to discus next week's meeting. He waltzed into the house at 8:50 without even apologizing for being late. Alison didn't even get in the tub until almost 9:00. When I asked him why he just didn't ask her if they could talk about it today or early next week because he needed to get home he told me he didn't even think about it.
That right there seems to be the problem lately. He doesn't think. He just does. And complains if he doesn't have time to get done what he wants to do on a particular night. There are things I'd like to do, too, but I don't have time to do them for one reason or another.
My husband has been driving me crazy lately. He was griping just the other night (Wednesday, I think) that he didn't have time to go shopping for me for Valentine's Day because he had to work all day and then when he comes home he has to take care of Alison. When I pointed out that Alison is portable, and could thus go shopping with him, he said he didn't even think about that. How does he think I get my shopping done?!? I pack Alison up and hit the stores.
Several years ago we were counselors for the senior high youth group at our church. This year we are counselors for the middle school youth group. Two weeks ago was the annual ski trip for the middle schoolers. Since he loves to ski and hasn't been skiing since we did senior high, Kevin didn't even hesitate to agree to go along for this trip. Not only that, he didn't even ask if I wanted to go. He just assumed that because I don't really like to ski that I would want to stay home with Alison. So he went. Now he says he owes me a weekend to go anywhere I want to and he'll stay home with Alison. When I asked him where exactly I was supposed to go, he suggested my parents'. Wouldn't they just love if I came to visit for a weekend and didn't bring their granddaughter, whom they don't get to see very often as it is, with me?
Now he's involved with a senior high discussion group at church (I think it's part of LOGOS) on Thursday nights. They deal with a lot of tough subjects and wanted/needed a man to provide male perspective. It's supposed to be from 7:30 to 8:30. He did ask me if it would be ok and I agreed, even though it will interrupt Alison's nighttime routine, since he gives her her bath at around 8:15. But I figured he could just do her bath early, before he goes to his meeting. Last night he had to go early so he could go over things with the person in charge of the group, so I asked him to try to get out a few minutes early so he could be home by 8:30 to help get Alison ready for bed and that way she would only be about 15 minutes behind schedule (even if I had wanted to do bath last night, my knees were killing me). Not only did he not leave early, he stayed late to discus next week's meeting. He waltzed into the house at 8:50 without even apologizing for being late. Alison didn't even get in the tub until almost 9:00. When I asked him why he just didn't ask her if they could talk about it today or early next week because he needed to get home he told me he didn't even think about it.
That right there seems to be the problem lately. He doesn't think. He just does. And complains if he doesn't have time to get done what he wants to do on a particular night. There are things I'd like to do, too, but I don't have time to do them for one reason or another.
Sunday, February 8, 2004
Intentional Torture
Well, I weighed in Saturday monring as usual and didn't lose any weight this week. :( Well, that's not exactly true. I checked earlier in the week and had gained a couple of pounds, probably courtesy of our dinner at Fazoli's, so I did lose those pounds. I'd like to think that perhaps I gained a little muscle weight, since my "intentional exercise" this week was more like "intentional torture."
Since it was warmer here all last week (highs in the 20's, and even one day in the low 30's) we've been walking in the afternoons. Here is where I would like to rant about some of the people in my town. It snowed twice last week. Between us and our neighbors, we do a pretty good job of keeping the sidewalks cleared. The same cannot be said for a lot of people on our regular route.
Fortunately I carry Alison in a backpack when we walk. If I pushed her in the stroller, we'd have to turn around before we got to the end of the block. Street crossings are piled knee-high or higher with plowed snow from the street. Many stretches of sidewalk haven't been shoveled at all and are merely paths of packed down snow. Walking along them is reminiscent of walking on loose sand at the beach. Some people will snowblow their driveway and a path to their mailbox but not bother to snowblow their sidewalk. Some people on corners will plow one part of the sidewalk but not the other. There are a couple of places where we end up walking in the street because the sidewalk is unpassable. When we're walking along the busy streets, that's not an option, so I trudge through the snow.
Friday was particularly bad because we had 3 inches of new snow overnight and into the morning. I had hardly gone half a mile before I felt like my legs were going to fall off. But I kept going. It was quite the workout, I must say. By the time we got home, 45 minutes later, I had completely sweat through my t-shirt and sweatshirt and, after drinking a quart of water, I was ready to go to bed and sleep for the next 12 hours (but I didn't). We didn't have a chance to get out and walk over the weekend, so I don't know if the sidewalks are any better or not. I'm going to guess that some will be, but I'm not counting on all of them to be passable. That would be hoping for too much. But, if the weather's nice we'll be back out there tomorrow afternoon partaking in "intentional torture."
Since it was warmer here all last week (highs in the 20's, and even one day in the low 30's) we've been walking in the afternoons. Here is where I would like to rant about some of the people in my town. It snowed twice last week. Between us and our neighbors, we do a pretty good job of keeping the sidewalks cleared. The same cannot be said for a lot of people on our regular route.
Fortunately I carry Alison in a backpack when we walk. If I pushed her in the stroller, we'd have to turn around before we got to the end of the block. Street crossings are piled knee-high or higher with plowed snow from the street. Many stretches of sidewalk haven't been shoveled at all and are merely paths of packed down snow. Walking along them is reminiscent of walking on loose sand at the beach. Some people will snowblow their driveway and a path to their mailbox but not bother to snowblow their sidewalk. Some people on corners will plow one part of the sidewalk but not the other. There are a couple of places where we end up walking in the street because the sidewalk is unpassable. When we're walking along the busy streets, that's not an option, so I trudge through the snow.
Friday was particularly bad because we had 3 inches of new snow overnight and into the morning. I had hardly gone half a mile before I felt like my legs were going to fall off. But I kept going. It was quite the workout, I must say. By the time we got home, 45 minutes later, I had completely sweat through my t-shirt and sweatshirt and, after drinking a quart of water, I was ready to go to bed and sleep for the next 12 hours (but I didn't). We didn't have a chance to get out and walk over the weekend, so I don't know if the sidewalks are any better or not. I'm going to guess that some will be, but I'm not counting on all of them to be passable. That would be hoping for too much. But, if the weather's nice we'll be back out there tomorrow afternoon partaking in "intentional torture."
Wednesday, February 4, 2004
Birthdays...sometimes they’re just another day
One month ago I turned 32. Unlike many people, I guess, I don’t mind birthdays. I don’t mean to say that I like getting older, but birthdays are not something I dread. I still think they're kind of fun. I get to go out to eat at the restaurant of my choice, I get presents, and I get a birthday cake. What’s not to like about that?
This year, my birthday was just another day. I did get to go out to eat (at Red Lobster) but not until a week later. I did get presents, also a week later. (Kevin got me a stuffed gorrilla and a Kitchen Aid stand mixer, which I’ve wanted for a long time.) I didn’t get a cake though. Nobody remembered to order me one.
It’s not that I’m complaining (not much anyway). We all had a lot on our minds. Gramp died on Christmas Day. Alison was in the hospital most of the next week. Was she going to get out in time for us to be back in Ohio for Gramp’s memorial service? Yes. She got out New Year’s Day, the day before we had to leave again. In Friday’s mail, I received a birthday card. It was from Grandma. That was hard, because it was the first card I have ever received that was not from both of them and I was not prepared for it.
Saturday was the memorial service. It was a busy day. We rushed around getting dressed and ready to go, getting Alison fed, getting to the church early. Before we knew it, people started arriving. Then we had the service and visiting time afterward. Once everyone had pretty much left it was time to pack up the flowers and get Grandma home. Then we had to figure out what to do about dinner, since there wasn't anything to eat at my parents' house and Grandma didn't really have anything for her to eat either. Throw into the mix the fact that Alison needed a breathing treatment and we didn't bring her nebulizer with us and that found us racing back to my parents' and then coming almost all the way back to Grandma's to meet everyone for dinner and then drive back again.
Sunday we were up early for church, then home to pack, out to have lunch with the "Lunch Bunch," back to the house to make sure everything was in the car and then we were ready to leave. It was during all this that my mom realized that she hadn't even thought about getting me a cake. All that next week, Kevin kept saying that he had to order me a cake, yet my belated birthday celebration came and went without a birthday cake.
Oh well, sometimes birthdays are just another day. Maybe next year I'll get a cake.
This year, my birthday was just another day. I did get to go out to eat (at Red Lobster) but not until a week later. I did get presents, also a week later. (Kevin got me a stuffed gorrilla and a Kitchen Aid stand mixer, which I’ve wanted for a long time.) I didn’t get a cake though. Nobody remembered to order me one.
It’s not that I’m complaining (not much anyway). We all had a lot on our minds. Gramp died on Christmas Day. Alison was in the hospital most of the next week. Was she going to get out in time for us to be back in Ohio for Gramp’s memorial service? Yes. She got out New Year’s Day, the day before we had to leave again. In Friday’s mail, I received a birthday card. It was from Grandma. That was hard, because it was the first card I have ever received that was not from both of them and I was not prepared for it.
Saturday was the memorial service. It was a busy day. We rushed around getting dressed and ready to go, getting Alison fed, getting to the church early. Before we knew it, people started arriving. Then we had the service and visiting time afterward. Once everyone had pretty much left it was time to pack up the flowers and get Grandma home. Then we had to figure out what to do about dinner, since there wasn't anything to eat at my parents' house and Grandma didn't really have anything for her to eat either. Throw into the mix the fact that Alison needed a breathing treatment and we didn't bring her nebulizer with us and that found us racing back to my parents' and then coming almost all the way back to Grandma's to meet everyone for dinner and then drive back again.
Sunday we were up early for church, then home to pack, out to have lunch with the "Lunch Bunch," back to the house to make sure everything was in the car and then we were ready to leave. It was during all this that my mom realized that she hadn't even thought about getting me a cake. All that next week, Kevin kept saying that he had to order me a cake, yet my belated birthday celebration came and went without a birthday cake.
Oh well, sometimes birthdays are just another day. Maybe next year I'll get a cake.
Sunday, February 1, 2004
My Weight Loss Challenge
Yesterday was my first "official" weigh in since starting Dr. Phil's book. I lost a grand total of 5 pounds in the 5 1/3 days I've been on the program (I started with dinner on Sunday and weighed in before breakfast on Saturday). Yay me! Of course, I kind of blew it last night by going to Fazoli's for dinner. Oh well. It was just me and Alison, and I really wanted that Ham and Swiss Submarino. I suppose I could have skipped the second breadstick.
Now the hard part begins. I'm still on the "Rapid Start" part of the new meal plan. I don't think I'll lose another 5 pounds next week, though, so I have to keep my motivation up if I only lose a pound or 2. Ideally, I'd like to be able to lose about 2 pounds a week. That's realistic. To do so, I'm going to really have to keep up my exercise plan. I did really well getting up and doing Tae Bo all week. I really need to add my afternoon walks back in, though. Because it's been so darn cold here lately, I think I'm going to have to call the Community Center and find out how much it costs to drop in and walk on the indoor track. I also need to find out if I can take Alison with me in her backpack. I seem to recall there being only certain times of the day that that's allowed. This afternoon, though, it's sunny and in the mid 20's, so I think we're all going to go for a walk outside after Alison's nap.
Now the hard part begins. I'm still on the "Rapid Start" part of the new meal plan. I don't think I'll lose another 5 pounds next week, though, so I have to keep my motivation up if I only lose a pound or 2. Ideally, I'd like to be able to lose about 2 pounds a week. That's realistic. To do so, I'm going to really have to keep up my exercise plan. I did really well getting up and doing Tae Bo all week. I really need to add my afternoon walks back in, though. Because it's been so darn cold here lately, I think I'm going to have to call the Community Center and find out how much it costs to drop in and walk on the indoor track. I also need to find out if I can take Alison with me in her backpack. I seem to recall there being only certain times of the day that that's allowed. This afternoon, though, it's sunny and in the mid 20's, so I think we're all going to go for a walk outside after Alison's nap.
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