Slow and steady…

I have been doing Weight Watchers since Jan. 8…and have lost 14.8 pounds so far! Plus…went down a size. I still have a long way to go to reach my goal, but I know that the best weight loss is slow weight loss. Nate has been very encouraging to me and my mom has helped by watching the girls twice a week so I can workout on their treadmill. So, slow and steady!

my plans for 2009

Okay, I confess that I don’t like to make New Year’s Resolutions…because I tend to fail them before the end of January. BUT…I do like the idea of a fresh start and a chance to make goals for myself. This year I have a very big goal…one that is a long time coming…and just happens to fall at the beginning of January. I want to reclaim my body in 2009.

In the past 6 years I have had three children and survived cancer. And I am tired of the toll it has taken on my body…I am tired of considering myself to be “heavy”. This is a very difficult thing for me to openly write about in a blog…but I have a long way to go in my plan to reclaim my body…and thought blogging about it might help me stay motivated.

What do I mean when I say I want to “reclaim my body”? I would like to lose 60 pounds. I know some of you are gasping and saying “you don’t need to lose that much”…but I do. I am still carrying a lot of pregnancy weight so that needs to go, but I also had a lot of weight to lose before getting pregnant. Most importantly, I would like to lose the weight in a healthy way and keep it off. I am good at “dieting” for a few months and then finding an excuse to stop and putting the weight back on.

Don’t worry…this won’t be a dieting journal or anything. I just thought it would be motivating to blog about this goal. I’ll let you know how I am doing…but I won’t bore you with the details!

So…here’s to a healthy, happy, thinner 2009.

Lindsey May

Lindsey May arrived at 6:35 pm at 8 lbs 14 oz and 20.5 inches long. Everyone seems well, they are checking blood to make sure both Kara and Lindsey are healthy. What a long day, after 11 hours of being here, 10 in labor, all of a sudden Lindsey dropped and Kara pushed for 10 minutes. We are quietly resting after family and several friends were here to celebrate with us. More to come tomorrow we are sure.

Visiting with Friends

We are headed out to PA this spring to visit some dear friends, the Knaaks. They moved away last year to pursue God’s call in ministry at World Harvest Mission centered in Philadelphia. We look forward to some vacation time, just Kara and me to visit with them, stay up too late, eat too many steak sandwiches (is that right, Jennifer? or is it cheese-steak? … gotta sound local!).

Soon!

Kara’s Cropping

I am home with the kids this weekend, it is really nice.  I like being able to give Kara some time away from the kids to be with her friends… she takes some time every few months to crop, doing Creative Memories.  I like it when she comes back with all the new pages having captured the time that we spend with the kids and our families.

The girls were great tonight, very sweet, very kind, speaking to each other kindly, sharing, talking respectfully… one of the good days, you know?! :)

Nothing significant happening here obviously.

Kara’s Checkup

Dr. Bines at Rush gave Kara the all clear again today for her quarterly check up.  Since the surgery last summer she’s had to visit Bines for a topical exam to make sure the soft tissue is in fact soft.  Her next appointment is in 6 months.  We praise God for the report and we think of others who are in waiting to hear news.

Cancer is a scary thing.  Watching a loved one in this is hard, but often encouraging.  They always seem to have more faith and confidence in what God is doing and able to do than those of us watching.

Nate

Relay for Life

Last night we went to an event called Relay for Life with all of our friends. Relay for Life is an event sponsored by the American Cancer Society. People walk a "track" overnight to raise money for the ACS. They also honor cancer survivors. My friends "honored" me last night. When I first got the invitation to attend the event, I thought, "I’m not a cancer survivor." It just sounded so wierd…but of course, I am.  It is so amazing to me that almost a year ago I found out about the cancer and I am already 9 months cancer-free. Praise God.

One of the ways the survivors are honored is they do a "victory" lap around the track as a part of the opening ceremony. I didn’t think I would get emotional, but I was totally overwhelmed walking the track, hearing my friends clap and cheer for me. I am so incredibly blessed. I am so thankful to have such a wonderful community of Christian friends to love and support me. The second lap around the track, my family (caregivers) walked with me. After that everyone else joined the track to start the "relay". We walked a few laps and then cooked out enjoying our fellowship with one another. It was a really special night.

Kara’s Progress

Thank you for praying for Kara these past several months.  She is healing well and is developing a significant range of motion.  She started seeing a physical therapist last week; on the first visit she said that Kara had great range of motion and will likely only be there a month.  We are so thankful.  We appreciate your continued prayers that the cancer cells would not return, and that Kara would live a normal, healthy life without need of further surgery.

Take care, we love hearing from you all, please write!

Kara Continues to Heal

Kara continues to feel better.  She is out of the sling, the doctor wants her to move around some and begin using her right arm again.  It is a little weak and she has limited range of motion, but she is doing some exercises here at home, and may spend some time with a physical therapist to loosen the arm and get her range of motion back.

We are excited about the good news and the continued healing of Kara.  The girls have been great, Natalie is very understanding (although she has moments) of Kara’s limitations.  We thank you for your prayer.  God has worked and he has healed.

Kara Update

We just met with the surgeon again this morning.  He says everything is looking good, the surgical site is healing well.  He removed the drain and one layer of bandages.  We are supposed to go back on Friday for the visit to remove the bandages (we think).