2-Year Check-up

We took Adam to the doctor for his 2-year assessment. It is so helpful when the patient is in a happy mood! On the agenda was an overall health assessment, iron and lead blood tests, and his Hepatitis A follow-up vaccine.

First they took his measurements. He was not a fan of this process but singing Row, Row, Row Your Boat while sitting on the scale seemed to help.

Weight: 24.9 lbs. (I was hoping for 25! Come on 25!)
Height: 35"
Head: 48.5"

He continues to be at the 20ish percentile for weight and 50ish for height but is still growing along the same growth curvature. Doctor was not concerned.

Up next was the toe prick to draw blood for lab work. Last time Adam had to have blood drawn it looked like this:

Nov 2010

So, as you can imagine, I was a little apprehensive about how it would go. Who'd have guessed that he wouldn't even flinch. Seriously. She plied him with shiny, colorful Thomas the Train stickers, tapped his toe repeatedly with her fingernail, and when it came time for the needle prick he didn't even realize what was going on. Well played, nurse! You made me a very appreciative Mommy.

The iron test came back good. Hemoglobin was at 10.5 which is at the bottom of the "good" zone so he could use more iron in his diet. (Heck, the child could use a few more cheeseburgers, too.) The lead test has to be sent out to the lab and no news is good news.

Since we are relatively new to the practice we are still trying out new doctors. This time we had Dr. Holubeck and I would return to her in an instant. (Though all the doctors we've seen so far have been wonderful.) She handed him a plastic cup and tongue depressor to play with while she checked him out. His teeth look great (should visit the dentist between 2 1/2 and 3 yrs), told us to expect the 2-year old molars soon, wrote a prescription for an antibiotic just in case the fluid in the ears leads to an infection (he has a cough), and declared him advanced in language skills.

Lastly was a quick shot, and he's now old enough to receive them in the arm. Quick, fast tears and we were back to being happy.

We'll return at 30 months and then at 3 years -- and both visits will be shot-free.

Thankful for a healthy boy.

Calling All Engines!

So I've been known to go a little overboard when it comes to Adam's birthday parties. I spend entirely too much time on the invitations, decorations and special touches, but gosh, themes are so fun! Last year we did an airplane theme and transformed the house into an airport. This year, it was all about fire trucks since Adam loves them.

{Invitation}

{Apparel}

Perfect Shirt from Aunt Kim for the occasion, made by Sassy Little Stitches
(Jake's is from our friend Laura)

Black sweatsuit + yellow duck tape = instant fireman costume!

{The Goody Bags}

Special thanks to Chief Holloway in Concord, NC for the party hats, stickers and coloring books!

{The Grub}

Can proudly say I made the cake myself with help from sister Kim

2 cake flavors, 3 loaf pan cakes, 4 cookies, 9 Dots gum drops, 1 toy ladder.. voila!

{The Party}

All cousins!

{The Surprise}

The absolute highlight of the day was completely unplanned. After noticing a firetruck in the neighborhood, Michael flagged them down and they came by for a quick visit and let us climb on their truck. So cool! 

Special thanks to the guys from Station 73!

Frankly it's going to be hard to top this at future parties! 

And this week we'll be stopping by the fire house

to drop off some goodies as a very big THANK YOU.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Adam!

Two

Who's 2nd birthday is today?

^ THIS GUY'S! ^

Happy Birthday to our lovable, laughable, melt-your-heart-with-that-smile little man!

Two years. Oh, how I wish we could stop time. But while we can't stop you growing bigger and learning new things and becoming more independent, we can cherish you and our little moments we share -- the moments when time stops and I breathe in the thought "Kairos" {the Greek word for special, qualitative time}.

Like when your eyes meet ours with an excited, "I did it!"

Or when you give us a hug and say, "Oh Niiiiice."

Or when you run to us with two pieces in your hands and ask sweetly, "Fix it?"

Or when you want to sit on our laps to read a book, and then run to grab another one after "The End."

Or when you fold your hands for nightly prayers, saying, "Dear God" and "Amen."

Or when you're "Stuck" under something or want to "Jump" to us or "Slide".

Or when you ask for "Help Please" or say "Sorry" along with the sign language.

Or when you specifically request your breakfast of "Egg" or "Strawberry" or "Pancake."

Or when you sing the words to Wheels on the Bus or Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star with the arm motions.

Or when you get excited when you notice your chicken is shaped like a "Triangle" or "Rec-TANG-le".

Or when you're on the way to bed and you yell back at me, "Night Night!"

Or when I tell you I love you, and you respond with, "I love you SO MUCH."

Or when you simply fall asleep on my shoulder and I breathe in your Adam smell.

God, I love that kid.
And thank You for blessing us abundantly with him.

Happy Birthday, Adam. We love you SO MUCH.

Biggest Loser: Week 1

Week 1 of our Family Biggest Loser Competition is under our belts! I have to admit, week 1 seemed looooong. At the start of the week I was quite sure I just may starve for the next couple months. Everything in our pantry seemed evil. I have never actually dieted before (and really, I like to think of our "diet" as a healthier eating lifestyle change but "diet" is easier to type) and the healthiest I probably have ever been was while I was pregnant when I was so conscious of the good and bad I was putting in my body. That's a mentality I should alwasy have. Michael has helped me realize that just a few small changes can go a long way, and here are a few things I am hoping to accomplish and change to our new normal:



1. Calorie counts. With the help of an app called My Fitness Pal (there's also one called Lose It) I have been tracking my caloric intake daily. I set my daily calorie goal at 1500 which seemed to be a reasonable base for me to lose a few pounds but also be able to maintain beyond that. On most days I come in under that goal. I also log my workouts there and it has also made it clear to me that I sure don't burn as many calories running as I thought. Total Bummer! Naively I used to use the excuse that I could eat loads of yummy crap just because I had worked out. Turns out a 3-mile run doesn't burn a whole lot more calories than a large soda. Perspective.

2. Portion Control. I've always known that I eat too much, and fortunately counting my calories has made me more conscious of my portion sizes. I hope that these new portion sizes will become my new norm.

3. Substitutions. There are obvious substitutions, such as switching to low fat mayo or whole wheat pasta, but I know there are a lot of other easy swap-outs that won't affect taste but will trim some fat and calories from our meals. (However, our switch to Skim milk may be short-lived... is yummier 1% that much worse?) I also want to start trying some leaner recipes to learn some other substitutions, such as evaporated milk for cream and ground turkey for ground beef.  These are things we can learn now that we can implement forever.

4. Routine exercise. I heard a great quote this week. When a famous writer was asked if he loved to write, he responded with, "No. But I love having written." Isn't that the case with so many things? I don't really enjoy working out, but I love having worked out. This week I set my alarm and managed two workouts before work, arriving at the gym by 6AM. I have to admit, I rather enjoyed getting there, getting my miles in on the treadmill, and then still have some leisure time to lift weights and take a shower without missing any awake time with my little man. Since I have a bad tendency to not exercise unless I have a race on my calendar (or a Biggest Loser Competition), I'm really hoping these 10 weeks will ingrain in me that habit of morning workouts, regardless of what's on my race calendar. Literally, the hardest part if just getting out of the bed, and if I can overcome that regularly, then I'm set.

5. The Sack Lunch. Too often I try to accomplish a whole lot on my short lunch break that I end up grabbing something on the go. Or I'm just too lazy to prep something healthy. While I know that burgers and fries are bad and sandwiches are better, paying attention to the calories at restaurants has been eye-opening! Even my beloved Jimmy John's sub with sprouts, cucumber and avocado has -- wait for it -- over 700 calories! {Mr. Jimmy John, if you're reading this, I would LOVE for your company to develop a smaller, say, 4" sub. Eight inch subs? Really?} It's no wonder this country is overweight! And it's not to say that I can't eat one of these sandwiches ever or even a quarter pounder with cheese. I'm just learning that it's all relative to my overall diet and exercise.


Yes, eating isn't as joyful as it used to be, at least for right now, but eventually as my new normal becomes habit, it won't be as hard to decide what's for lunch.

So, how did I do for week 1? Off to a great start: 4 pounds lighter (2.72% loss).

On to Week 2!

Roots

Harrisville, West Virginia is somewhere you likely will never visit. It's one of those off-the-beaten-path towns that you have to make your destination since you wouldn't happen to discover it on your way to somewhere else. It may look like a small dot on the map to you but for us it's the roots of the Elder family.

Like I said, it's not somewhere we'd normally make a side trip to, so when I learned that my parents were going to go while they were up visiting, I felt immediately that I needed to go as well. I had been there only once before, when I was 13 years old, and had vague memories of the farmhouse where my grandmother grew up, my grandfather's grave, my great-aunt's house and my grandfather's service station next door. It seemed important to show Michael some of our family history.

Today, Harrisville only has about 2,000 residents, and all of "town" consists of about 1.6 square miles. A visit to the town's museum in the old schoolhouse would reveal class photos of my grandparents and great aunts and uncles. It's where my grandmother was born and where my father was born and raised until they moved to Ohio for better jobs. It is also where my grandparents rest, in a quiet cemetery overlooking the hills, and that is why my heart will always be in Harrisville.

While driving through the quaint main street, I could see my dad's eyes cloud with memories and recollections of where things are and how they looked back then. I could tell he was a bit saddened that time and the economy hadn't improved the town, but I could still envision the place he grew up, the sledding hill, his bike route to school. I could picture the old movie theater, now a local business, and the soda shop, now a recreational equipment store. And while there's now a stoplight and a brand new Subway (the only chain establishment in town), I'd like to hope that Harrisville will always retain the charm and character that is usually lost over time, and, perhaps some day, it can be revived.

Click to enlarge

There is one place in town I can trust to never change -- the famous Berdine's Five & Dime, the oldest five and dime store in the county. Now this place you've got to see for yourself. I didn't get a foot in the door before I was turning around and looking at my dad with a holy mackerel expression on my face. Goodness gracious there's a lot to discover here! You could visit this place a dozen times and find something new each time, stuff you didn't know you even needed. What's remarkable is that practically everyone that goes in there buys something. Our crowd alone bought a nutcracker, candy, air pump ball needles, brain floss (yes, you heard me), parachute men, miniature knights, shot glasses, a toy bus, a toy ambulance, pick-up sticks, cards and I'm sure other stuff I can't recall.

But the one thing that wasn't for sale that I really really wanted was this antique cabinet. Isn't it fabulous?

And if you do happen to want to swing through for a visit, I have the perfect place to stay. Just a few miles from Harrisville is North Bend State Park. It may realistically be one of the only hotels in the area. Our crew rented a 3-bedroom cabin, and after seeing most of the other cabins decorated with Christmas lights and Christmas trees, we all decided that some day we needed to plan a Christmas getaway somewhere.

We didn't do much at the cabin, but that's what I loved about it. We had no cell reception, no internet and didn't turn on the tv. We lit a huge fire, drank hot cocoa, ate popcorn and played cards, dice and pick-up sticks by the fire. We ate dinner and breakfast at the main lodge (again, realistically the nicest dining facility in the area), and I couldn't help but think the park felt a little like the resort in Dirty Dancing. One of the park rangers had a short white beard, and when he held out his arms to Adam, Adam ran right up to him. The ranger asked him about his Christmas and what Santa brought him for Christmas. Later when we were leaving the lodge we were saying goodbye, and Adam said, "Bye-Bye, Santa!" I just love that kid.

I don't know when, or even if, we'll be back, but I am so glad we came this time. I'm so glad we came with my Dad and family and that Michael and Adam were with me. There's no doubt Adam will grow up hearing stories about Harrisville and I don't mean stories about this recent trip. I mean stories about another generation, a simpler life. And I hope he's as fascinated by them as I am.

The Biggest Loser

We've all had those January new year's resolutions about losing weight, but this year we're putting our money where our mouths are with our Family Biggest Loser Challenge!

My sister Kim suggested the concept, and so far it consists of me and Michael, Kim and Josh, Angie and Josh, and our friend sister Christie.  It all starts SUNDAY for 10 WEEKS.

Here's how it works, from Kim (AKA Biggest Loser Commish)...


We weigh in every week at the same time wearing the same clothes.  Just like biggest loser we take the percentage of the amount lost rather than lbs to keep it fair.  The biggest loser of the week gets a free pass, the person who loses the smallest % has to pay $10, and everyone in between pays $5, so everyone has a little incentive to keep up with the diet.  If you had a bad week and decide you want to forfeit the weigh-in you automatically pay $10, but the person with the least percentage of weight loss still has to pay their $10 as well.  Of course at the end of the contest the winner takes all!  The prize money MUST be spend on something you want for yourself but don't buy because it's frivolous… so no spending it on your kids or your spouse or (heaven forbid!) groceries or bills!

The first weigh-in will be this Sunday and someone must be there to vouch for you.  I know we're all too competitive for our spouses to let us get away with cheating so I trust them to vouch for you.  I'll keep a running tally of what everyone owes week to week after the weigh-ins and at the end everyone will fork over their amount to the biggest loser.  Since it takes about 6 weeks to see results from a new diet and exercise plan, the contest will run for 10.  Biggest loser takes all!

I love that we've all jumped on board and are doing this together. Misery loves company, right? And man, I can tell you the smack-talking has already begun. Fortunately I joined the gym this week and went for a 6:15AM run yesterday morning, my first in months. (I won't say how sore I am today.) And tonight I'm have a free consult with a personal trainer at the gym so I should have all the tools I need to be The Biggest Loser. And if someone happens to be a bigger loser than me ("L" to the forehead), hopefully my consolation prize will be a smaller pant size.

Guess I have some eating to do before Sunday... :) 

Game On!

Frisbeer

From the people who helped bring South Florida cornhole, I now present you South Floridians with the latest redneck tailgate game -- Frisbeer!

What you need:
2 PVC poles, approx 5′ long with caps on one end
2 iron stakes
2 beer bottles, wrapped in electrical tape or duct tape for safety
1 frisbee

Setup:
Pace out a distance for the length between the two pole set-ups, roughly 25 feet apart or whatever the dimensions of your back yard or tailgate locale. Honestly, this distance is never the same from game to game for us.

Set the stakes in the ground and slide the PVC pipes over them, ensuring they stand as vertical as possible. During play these will likely need to be re-straightened. Balance the beer bottle on the top cap.

The Play:
Unlike horseshoes and cornhole, you and your teammate stand on the same side. Teams alternate turns on offense, with 1 throw per team per turn and teammates taking turns throwing the frisbee. Both teammates play defense.

The goal is to throw the frisbee towards the opponent's pole, trying to knock the bottle off the top...

and then defending the pole by catching the tossed frisbee...

AND the knocked-off bottle if it should fall.

 Both at the same time!

It takes teamwork and coordination!

Rules:
All participants must have a beer in hand at all times.
Defenders must stay behind the pole and cannot catch the frisbee until it's beyond the pole.

Scoring:
Only throwing teams can score points.
3 points: the bottle and frisbee hit the ground (catchable throws only)
2 points: the bottle hits the ground
1 point: you're caught without a drinkable beer in at least one of your hands
1 point: the frisbee hits the ground (catchable throws only)

So simple! So fun! So redneck? Don't knock it until you try it!