Amazing

If you have a few free minutes, please check out this link.  This happened today at my beloved former middle school, where I taught for 5 years.  Man, it makes me miss that place!  What a wonderful thing they did for that sweet boy.

                      http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/story/20937455/boy-fighting-cancer-gets



Big day for Parker!

Now that I caught your attention, I wanted to share two things regarding Parker on this day!

First of all, our big guy tried his first bite of rice cereal tonight!  He wasn't exactly a fan, per se, but we will keep trying. 

Notice the arm rolls? 

No more, mom, please!

The other reason today is a big day for Parker is... one year ago today, I found out I was expecting him!  I still vividly remember it.  I took the pregnancy test, and walked away to pick out my clothes for the next day.  Stephen came into the closet with the test and said, "What do two pink lines mean?"  I said, "Ha ha, very funny!" (I was absolutely convinced there was no way I was pregnant)  Then he said, "No, really-" and held out the test.  I just remember bursting into laughter, and then I called my sister, who also burst into laughter.  Such a funny memory.  I don't get caught off guard much in life, but that really did get me.

What a blessing this day was last year!

(Final) Training-Week 16

Well, I got some bummy news this morning.  I went back for the follow-up visit to my orthopaedic, and he recommended for me not to run the half-marathon.  He said it's much better for me to stick with 5Ks now (when my hip feels better) and then build up to 10Ks, rather than jumping into the half-marathon and potentially hurting my hip worse.  He said hip bursitis usually sticks around for 3 months.  That would be mid-March. 

I didn't want to hear this, but I think, at this point, it's for the best.  My hip is still not normal.  I can do a lot more on it now, but still can't run on it.  Plus, I kept redoing my training schedule to make it shorter in length since the race day is sneaking up on me.  The problem with shortening the schedule is that they assume you're already in good shape and can start off running 3-5 miles at a time.  Which is definitely not the case!

I guess I'll just do what he says- stick to 5Ks and 10Ks and see how it goes!  I will definitely be cheering on my amazing hubby if he decides to do that race in April. :)

So, I'll make this my last "training" blog... these were done in hopes that I could look back and say- oh, I was only running 1.5 miles?  And it took me 11 minutes per mile?  Look how far I've come!  Yeah... well... that definitely didn't happen.  Here are my final trainings.  So long! 


Saturday, 1/26

Activity: Hip Hop Abs- Total Body Burn
Time: 30 minutes


Sunday, 1/27:

Activity: (Attempted) jogging
Time: Jogging- 2:04 minutes, Walking- 4:00 minutes
Distance: Jogging- .17 miles (I am SO ready for that 1/2 marathon!!), Walking- .26 miles
Calories burned: 45

and

Activity: Advocare Workout DVD (Melt 1)
Time: 24 minutes


Monday, 1/28:

Activity: Advocare Workout DVD (Melt 1)
Time: 24 minutes


Tuesday, 1/29:

Activity: Eliptical
Time: 25 minutes
Distance: 1.69 miles
Calories burned: 259

4 month stats!

Parker had his 4 month well check-up today.  I was very curious to see how much he tipped the scale, because (knock on wood!), we haven't been to the doctor in well over a month!

My guess was 18 pounds.  He had gained 4-1/2 pounds in his first 2 months (to 14 lbs, 1 oz) so I thought for sure he'd gain that much more.  Well, the numbers are in...

Height: 26" (75-85%)
Weight: 16 lbs, 10 oz. (75%)
Head: 44-1/2 cm (>98%)

He is losing momentum with his weight gain!  Though his head growth is still full-force. :)  He is really healthy overall! (Thank you, Lord!)  He does seem to have excema on his face, so we're treating that with vaseline/Aquaphor.  We were given the go-ahead to start solids.  He got 2 shots and an oral vaccine.  Poor little guy has been inconsolable tonight, with a not-quite-a-fever-but-higher-than-normal temp.  Hopefully he'll wake up happier tomorrow.

OK, time for the comparison.  At 4 months:

Sydney was-
Height: 24"
Weight: 13 pounds, 11 oz.

Taylor was-
Height: 25 1/2" (90%)
Weight: 17 lbs, 5 oz. (>95%)
Head: 43 cm. (90%)

Funny how Sydney has turned out the be the "runt" of the family.  It'll be interesting to see how big and tall they get to be as adults. 

Wearing Taylor's shoes.

Drying off from the monsoon outside.

Someone got a "ba-lew pop pop"

4 months!

Parker is 4 months old!

Accomplishments include:

• Putting his hands together.
• Holding his head up all the way while on his belly.
• He rolled from back to front!  He is really good at rolling from back to his side... just going all the way over that one time.
• Belly laughing.
• Starting daycare!  His teachers have dubbed him the sweetest baby in the class. :)
• Grabbing things and holding onto them for a long time.
• Sitting in the Bumbo seat better.
• He is totally starting to fill out his 6 month clothes in length!
• We think he's starting to get excema on his face.  Not sure if it's that or just really bad dry skin.
• He started going to the nursery at church. 
• Cooing, "talking", kicking his legs... this boy wants to communicate!

He loves his little play mat.

You go boy, holding up that >98th% head!

Twins?

Cheering on the Dawgs!

Training- Week 15 (and hip update)

OK, update on the hip. It's been feeling much better, mostly thanks to time and medicine, less thanks to physical therapy.  I think physical therapy helped some, but I would do things like ride the bike and do stretches on my own for 45 minutes of the hour, and only see the PT for about 15 minutes... and let's face it, an hour after a long day at work with 3 kids and a husband who travels... that hour was not well spent, I didn't think.  I can bike and do stretches on my own.

So, I cancelled the rest of my PT sessions and was really excited to start back running this week.  I looked up a new training schedule, one that was a 14 week schedule (seeing that we are officially 14 weeks out!) and was ready to go today (Monday).

I started jogging at a slower pace on the treadmill today, only to realize within 10 seconds that my hip was not ready for that.  UGGGGHHHHHHHHHH.  SO frustrating.  So, the eliptical it was.

**On a side note, Stephen wanted to train for the half marathon with me, and since he has a healthy hip, he has been able to continue on.  He is up to about 6 miles now, and running at an 8-something minute pace!  I am very proud of him (and a little jealous!).

Monday, 1/21:

Activity: Eliptical
Time: 31 minutes
Distance: 1.70 miles
Calories burned: 300

and

Activity: Advocare Workout Video (Melt 1)
Time: 24 minutes


Tuesday, 1/22:

Activity: Advocare Workout Video (Shred 1)
Time: 24 minutes


Wednesday, 1/23:

Activity: Advocare Workout Video (Sculpt 1)
Time: 24 minutes


Thursday, 1/24:

Activity: Hip Hop Abs- Total Body Burn DVD
Time: 20 minutes


Friday, 1/25:

Activity: Advocare Workout Video (Core Stretch)
Time: 24 minutes

Touching

This story brings tears to my eyes... I think, as educators, we get so caught up in what we *have* to do that we forget the real meaning and purpose of teaching children.  Also, you never really know what someone is going through.  I think it's important we all remember that.

Touching hearts.

As she stood in front of her 5th grade class on the very first day of school, she told the children an untruth. Like most teachers, she looked at her students and said that she loved them all the same. However, that was impossible, because there in the front row, slumped in his seat, was a little boy named Teddy Stoddard.

Mrs. Thompson had watched Teddy the year before and noticed that he did not play well with the other children, that his clothes were messy and that he constantly needed a bath. In addition, Teddy could be unpleasant.

It got to the point where Mrs. Thompson would actually take delight in marking his papers with a broad red pen, making bold X's and then putting a big "F" at the top of his papers.

At the school where Mrs. Thompson taught, she was required to review each child's past records and she put Teddy's off until last. However, when she reviewed his file, she was in for a surprise.

Teddy's first grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is a bright child with a ready laugh. He does his work neatly and has good manners... he is a joy to be around.."

His second grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is an excellent student, well liked by his classmates, but he is troubled because his mother has a terminal illness and life at home must be a struggle."

His third grade teacher wrote, "His mother's death has been hard on him. He tries to do his best, but his father doesn't show much interest and his home life will soon affect him if some steps aren't taken."

Teddy's fourth grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is withdrawn and doesn't show much interest in school. He doesn't have many friends and he sometimes sleeps in class."

By now, Mrs. Thompson realized the problem and she was ashamed of herself. She felt even worse when her students brought her Christmas presents, wrapped in beautiful ribbons and bright paper, except for Teddy's. His present was clumsily wrapped in the heavy, brown paper That he got from a grocery bag Mrs. Thompson took pains to open it in the middle of the other presents. Some of the children started to laugh when she found a rhinestone bracelet with some of the stones missing, and a bottle that was one-quarter full of perfume.. But she stifled the children's laughter when she exclaimed how pretty the bracelet was, putting it on, and dabbing some of the perfume on her wrist. Teddy Stoddard stayed after school that day just long enough to say, "Mrs. Thompson, today you smelled just like my Mom used to." After the children left, she cried for at least an hour.

On that very day, she quit teaching reading, writing and arithmetic. Instead, she began to teach children. Mrs. Thompson paid particular attention to Teddy. As she worked with him, his mind seemed to come alive. The more she encouraged him, the faster he responded. By the end of the year, Teddy had become one of the smartest children in the class and, despite her lie that she would love all the children the same, Teddy became one of her "teacher's pets."

A year later, she found a note under her door, from Teddy, telling her that she was still the best teacher he ever had in his whole life.

Six years went by before she got another note from Teddy. He then wrote that he had finished high school, third in his class, and she was still the best teacher he ever had in life.

Four years after that, she got another letter, saying that while things had been tough at times, he'd stayed in school, had stuck with it, and would soon graduate from college with the highest of honors. He assured Mrs. Thompson that she was still the best and favorite teacher he had ever had in his whole life.

Then four more years passed and yet another letter came. This time he explained that after he got his bachelor's degree, he decided to go a little further. The letter explained that she was still the best and favorite teacher he ever had. But now his name was a little longer.... The letter was signed, Theodore F. Stoddard, MD.

The story does not end there. You see, there was yet another letter that spring. Teddy said he had met this girl and was going to be married. He explained that his father had died a couple of years ago and he was wondering if Mrs. Thompson might agree to sit at the wedding in the place that was usually reserved for the mother of the groom.

Of course, Mrs. Thompson did. And guess what? She wore that bracelet, the one with several rhinestones missing. Moreover, she made sure she was wearing the perfume that Teddy remembered his mother wearing on their last Christmas together.

They hugged each other, and Dr. Stoddard whispered in Mrs. Thompson's ear, "Thank you Mrs. Thompson for believing in me. Thank you so much for making me feel important and showing me that I could make a difference."

Mrs. Thompson, with tears in her eyes, whispered back. She said, "Teddy, you have it all wrong. You were the one who taught me that I could make a difference. I didn't know how to teach until I met you."



"Believe in Angels, then return the favor."