So today I started on the vaunted P90X workout program. I have to admit that I'm usually HIGHLY skeptical of anything that I've seen on an informercial, but that stupid thing sucked me in immediately and never let go. I wasn't sure that I believed the TV hype, so I sent out a Facebook message a few weeks ago asking about people's experience with the program.
The responses were immediate and overwhelmingly positive. The most common response..."It totally kicked my ass, and I was exhausted after the workouts. But it WORKED!"
Fast-forward to a few weeks later, and I now have my very own - very borrowed - copy of the program (thanks Tim and Alyson!). I've finally read through all of the pre-work and the diet plan, and I've set myself up for success by getting most of the necessary items (skipped the protein bars and powders for now, but we'll see...).
Today was my first workout, and I'm here to tell you that Tony Horton WILL kick your ass! WOW! The first workout is chest and back, and consists of 12 different exercises performed twice. You run through the first set, then do the same exercises again in a different order. By the end of the first, I was almost completely exhausted and was absolutely dripping with sweat. My arms hurt, I was breathing insanely hard, and I thought I was going to barf. Then I had to go through it all AGAIN! I persevered, but there was no way that I was going to be able to keep up with the insane pace the guys (and gal!) on screen were keeping. Still, I made it through the first workout alive, and was pretty psyched for tomorrow...until I realized that there was still a 15-minute ab workout to do.
Are you kidding me? I may drop dead here on the floor, and you want me to do MORE? Alright, fine...but I'm NOT happy about it. Needless to say, the Ab Ripper X workout continued Tony Horton's (that's the host, by the way) butt-kicking. In the end, I was completely spent, and I actually ended up loving it.
We'll see how the rest of the program progresses, but if it's always this intense, I'm hoping to be ripped by next spring. BRING IT!
Monday, November 02, 2009
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Bicentennial Quarters
So yesterday was ice cream day in Chris's class, and I had to dig up 50 cents for his weekly ice cream ration. I pulled out a couple of quarters, and realized that one of them was the 1976 Bicentennial Quarter. These quarters have always kind of had a special place in my heart, though I'm not really sure why. Maybe it's because they're from my birth year, or maybe I just thought the dude drumming on the back of the quarter was cool. Regardless, I thought I'd share my excitement with Chris.
I walked into the kitchen and said, "Look at this! This quarter was made in 1976! That means it's as old as I am...cool!" Chris got super excited for some reason, and said "OK...THAT is REALLY interesting!"
This may fall under the category of "you had to be there for it to be cute," but I'm telling you...it was hilarious!
I walked into the kitchen and said, "Look at this! This quarter was made in 1976! That means it's as old as I am...cool!" Chris got super excited for some reason, and said "OK...THAT is REALLY interesting!"
This may fall under the category of "you had to be there for it to be cute," but I'm telling you...it was hilarious!
Friday, October 16, 2009
Splish Splash!
Ohmygosh! I can't believe I forgot to post this video of Tyler's first bath. Too cute! :-)
First Monthly Appointment!
It's hard to believe it's already been a month since Tyler made his grand arrival, but here we are... So far, so good. He's growing like a little weed, and the cardiologist says his heart rate is doing great thanks to the medications we've got him on. We don't have to go back to see the cardiologist again until the three-month mark, so we're seeing that as a good thing.
We had Tyler's first monthly appointment with the pediatrician this morning, and it went great! He's 8 pounds, 15 ounces (amazingly enough, the same size Chris was at BIRTH!), and is just a shade over 20 inches long, which puts him in the 25th percentile for both height and weight. That should pick up quickly now that he's really starting to be a food hog.
Keep your eyes peeled for new pictures...we hit Portrait Innovations yesterday, and I'm planning to upload the CD full of photos sometime today. I've gotta' say, the folks at Portrait Innovations are absolutely incredible! Matthew is generally averse to having ANYONE take his picture, let alone complete strangers. Something about their crew, though, got him to open up and smile, and the pictures are amazing! :-)
That's all for now...
Monday, September 28, 2009
Welcome to the World, Baby Tyler!
OK...I should have posted this on September 12th, but I was a bit busy:
It’s with more excitement that I can even begin to communicate via e-mail that I make the following announcement: Tyler Sloan Johnston was born yesterday morning, Saturday, September 12th, at 6:40 AM. He weighs 7 pounds, 8 ½ ounces, and is 21 inches long. That’s the awesome news. The funky/not-so-great news, though, is that he spent all of yesterday in the ICU with an irregular heart rate. Not to worry, though…there’s a light at the end of that tunnel. Here’s a quick recap in case you’re not up to speed:
Saturday
2:30 AM – Holly wakes me up to tell me that her water has broken
3:25 – We meet my mom and dad at the hospital, and pass the boys off to them
4:00 – 5:15 – Various tests, etc., to determine whether Holly’s water had, in fact, broken. The tests all came back negative, but the fetal heart rate monitor indicated a wildly varying heart rate (bouncing from 120 BPM to 250 BPM). The nurses called in the on-call physician, who verified via ultrasound that Holly’s water had, in fact, broken, and that there was no more amniotic fluid at all. She decided, therefore, that it was time to get Tyler out.
5:15 – Since there was so much confusion about the heart rates, the neonatologist was called in for a consult. The question being posed was whether we should go ahead and deliver at Northside Forsyth, or if we should head to Atlanta instead since they have a larger NICU. He decided that we’d be OK here, but that Tyler would most likely have to spend a day or so in the NICU for observation. Here’s the kicker…
5:30 – The anesthesiologist arrives for placement of the epidural in preparation for a 6:15 C-Section! Incredibly, we were slated for surgery less than 4 hours after Holly’s water broke!!
6:40 – Tyler is born. He weighs 7 pounds, 8 ½ ounces, and is 21 inches long. Aside from the funky heart rhythm, he’s perfectly healthy and completely adorable.
7:30 – Tyler is admitted into the NICU for observation, and is quickly diagnosed with SupraVentricular Tachycardia (Google it!), which essentially knocks the rhythm of the heart out of whack and causes it to spike unnaturally (hence the bounce from 120 to 250 and back). They put him on an IV drug to control the severity of it, and (ideally, anyway), to bring order out of the chaos. They also give him a tube in his mouth to provide an oral version of a similar drug. The idea there was to wean him off of the IV drug so that he could be treated via oral meds.
Fast-Forward to Saturday Night
6:00 – The meds aren’t doing their job, and Tyler’s heartbeat is still fluctuating wildly. The neonatologist and cardiologist decide that Tyler would be better-treated at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta…about 40 miles from here. OUCH!
7:30 – The final decision to transfer Tyler is made.
9:15 – The transfer team arrives and moves Tyler into a really cool transfer carrier (check out the picture). They take him downtown, and my mom and I follow.
11:30 – Tyler is officially admitted to the hospital, and is set up in the CICU (Cardiac Intensive Care Unit). They set Tyler up on a strong IV drip in conjunction with the oral meds. During this visit I actually get to HOLD Tyler, which is about the greatest experience of all! Finally, we’re exhausted and head back home to Forsyth for some much-needed sleep.
Sunday
11:00 AM – I talk with the head nurse at Tyler’s new hospital, who fills me in on the night’s progress. His heart rate has stabilized, and they’re turning down the flow on his IV from 300 (of whatever unit of measure they’re using) to 200, with plans to be at 150 by 12:30. They’ve also taken him off of his oxygen. This is about the best news we’ve heard since 6:40 Saturday!
2:30 PM – I talk with the head nurse again, who tells me that Tyler is down to 50 on his IV, and they’re planning to have him completely off by 3:15. SWEET! The nurse also tells me that Tyler is watching football. “He told me that he wanted to watch the Falcons play the Dolphins, so I had to let him!” Loving this nurse at this point!
10:00 PM – Mom, Dad, and I take the boys down to the hospital for a quick visit. The boys aren’t actually allowed into the CICU right now, though, because of flu concerns. Bummer, but Tyler’s doing great, and is completely adorable.
That’s the latest for now. They’re hoping to have Tyler out of the CICU and into the Step-Down Nursery sometime today, and we’re planning to take Holly home sometime tomorrow. Holly and I can visit down there any time, and we’ll have classes with the nursing staff on how to take care of Tyler after we take him home. We’ll probably have to take CPR classes (we had to with Matthew since he was in the ICU…I think this is standard operating procedure), as well as classes on how to recognize SVT if he spikes in the future. He’ll most likely have to be on oral medications for the next six months to a year, but his long-term prognosis is excellent, and they say he’ll be perfectly healthy. PHEW!
Sorry for this being the world’s longest post, but I thought it’d be best to get all of the details out there in case you were curious. A HUGE thank-you to everyone who’s called, stopped by, sent text messages and/or Facebook messages, and generally been wonderfully supportive this weekend. We truly appreciate the incredible outpouring of love and support, and can’t wait to introduce Tyler to all of you soon!
Saturday
2:30 AM – Holly wakes me up to tell me that her water has broken
3:25 – We meet my mom and dad at the hospital, and pass the boys off to them
4:00 – 5:15 – Various tests, etc., to determine whether Holly’s water had, in fact, broken. The tests all came back negative, but the fetal heart rate monitor indicated a wildly varying heart rate (bouncing from 120 BPM to 250 BPM). The nurses called in the on-call physician, who verified via ultrasound that Holly’s water had, in fact, broken, and that there was no more amniotic fluid at all. She decided, therefore, that it was time to get Tyler out.
5:15 – Since there was so much confusion about the heart rates, the neonatologist was called in for a consult. The question being posed was whether we should go ahead and deliver at Northside Forsyth, or if we should head to Atlanta instead since they have a larger NICU. He decided that we’d be OK here, but that Tyler would most likely have to spend a day or so in the NICU for observation. Here’s the kicker…
5:30 – The anesthesiologist arrives for placement of the epidural in preparation for a 6:15 C-Section! Incredibly, we were slated for surgery less than 4 hours after Holly’s water broke!!
6:40 – Tyler is born. He weighs 7 pounds, 8 ½ ounces, and is 21 inches long. Aside from the funky heart rhythm, he’s perfectly healthy and completely adorable.
7:30 – Tyler is admitted into the NICU for observation, and is quickly diagnosed with SupraVentricular Tachycardia (Google it!), which essentially knocks the rhythm of the heart out of whack and causes it to spike unnaturally (hence the bounce from 120 to 250 and back). They put him on an IV drug to control the severity of it, and (ideally, anyway), to bring order out of the chaos. They also give him a tube in his mouth to provide an oral version of a similar drug. The idea there was to wean him off of the IV drug so that he could be treated via oral meds.
Fast-Forward to Saturday Night
6:00 – The meds aren’t doing their job, and Tyler’s heartbeat is still fluctuating wildly. The neonatologist and cardiologist decide that Tyler would be better-treated at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta…about 40 miles from here. OUCH!
7:30 – The final decision to transfer Tyler is made.
9:15 – The transfer team arrives and moves Tyler into a really cool transfer carrier (check out the picture). They take him downtown, and my mom and I follow.
11:30 – Tyler is officially admitted to the hospital, and is set up in the CICU (Cardiac Intensive Care Unit). They set Tyler up on a strong IV drip in conjunction with the oral meds. During this visit I actually get to HOLD Tyler, which is about the greatest experience of all! Finally, we’re exhausted and head back home to Forsyth for some much-needed sleep.
Sunday
11:00 AM – I talk with the head nurse at Tyler’s new hospital, who fills me in on the night’s progress. His heart rate has stabilized, and they’re turning down the flow on his IV from 300 (of whatever unit of measure they’re using) to 200, with plans to be at 150 by 12:30. They’ve also taken him off of his oxygen. This is about the best news we’ve heard since 6:40 Saturday!
2:30 PM – I talk with the head nurse again, who tells me that Tyler is down to 50 on his IV, and they’re planning to have him completely off by 3:15. SWEET! The nurse also tells me that Tyler is watching football. “He told me that he wanted to watch the Falcons play the Dolphins, so I had to let him!” Loving this nurse at this point!
10:00 PM – Mom, Dad, and I take the boys down to the hospital for a quick visit. The boys aren’t actually allowed into the CICU right now, though, because of flu concerns. Bummer, but Tyler’s doing great, and is completely adorable.
That’s the latest for now. They’re hoping to have Tyler out of the CICU and into the Step-Down Nursery sometime today, and we’re planning to take Holly home sometime tomorrow. Holly and I can visit down there any time, and we’ll have classes with the nursing staff on how to take care of Tyler after we take him home. We’ll probably have to take CPR classes (we had to with Matthew since he was in the ICU…I think this is standard operating procedure), as well as classes on how to recognize SVT if he spikes in the future. He’ll most likely have to be on oral medications for the next six months to a year, but his long-term prognosis is excellent, and they say he’ll be perfectly healthy. PHEW!
Sorry for this being the world’s longest post, but I thought it’d be best to get all of the details out there in case you were curious. A HUGE thank-you to everyone who’s called, stopped by, sent text messages and/or Facebook messages, and generally been wonderfully supportive this weekend. We truly appreciate the incredible outpouring of love and support, and can’t wait to introduce Tyler to all of you soon!
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Home Stretch, Baby!
First, this note from our friends at WebMD:
Chris basically held on to the umbillical cord for dear life, and Matthew showed absolutely NO signs of wanting to be born on time. Those experiences prompted our doctor to tell Holly, "I'm not even going to bother with the exams for the next couple of weeks unless you really feel like something's happening. Otherwise, all we're doing is making you uncomfortable." Now, THAT'S a great doctor! :-)
Two more weeks 'til Tyler's here!!!!!
HA! Though we're officially considered to be in the "home stretch" at this point (2 weeks from yesterday!!), the last statement here cracks me up. Not because it's not accurate, mind you...it's just that the idea that Holly would progress anywhere close to someting approximating labor is hilarious.
You're 37 Weeks Pregnant. Your baby is about 21 inches from head to toe and weighs almost 6.5 pounds. Pregnancy is getting rounded every day, and skin is getting pinker and losing its wrinkly appearance. Your baby's head is usually positioned down into the pelvis by now. Your uterus may stay the same size as it was for the last week or two. Your weight gain should be about as high as it will go, about 25 to 35 pounds. About this time, your doctor might perform a pelvic exam to help judge the progress of your pregnancy.
Chris basically held on to the umbillical cord for dear life, and Matthew showed absolutely NO signs of wanting to be born on time. Those experiences prompted our doctor to tell Holly, "I'm not even going to bother with the exams for the next couple of weeks unless you really feel like something's happening. Otherwise, all we're doing is making you uncomfortable." Now, THAT'S a great doctor! :-)
Two more weeks 'til Tyler's here!!!!!
Busy Bees...
First, this note from our friends at WebMD:
You're 36 Weeks Pregnant. Your baby measures about 20.7 inches from head to toe and weighs about 6 pounds. The baby may drop lower in your abdomen, usually assuming the head-down position. You're in the home stretch; after this week, you'll be seeing your doctor weekly. You may be alternating between feeling exhausted and having extra bursts of energy.
This last statement could hardly be more true. It's amazing to me that Holly can go from cleaning everything in sight and buzzing around the house like a demented bee (it's early...that's the best I've got!) to completely crashed in about 3 seconds. On the positive side, our house is getting VERY clean! The only negative side effect is that I'm starting to nest, too. So far, I've added a ceiling fan to our guest room, redone the guest bathroom, and painted my office/desk. Who knows what'll come next?
Just Breathe...
First, this note from our friends at WebMD:
It's hard to believe that our little guy is almost done "cooking." Even more amazing is that, if he were born today, he'd be OK and ready to go. Can't wait to meet him!!!
You're 35 Weeks Pregnant. Your baby measures about 20.25 inches from head to toe and weighs more than 5.5 pounds. Lungs are almost fully developed, but if born now the baby would probably be put in an incubator. It still doesn't have enough fat deposits beneath its skin to keep warm outside your womb. Your uterus is about six inches above your navel. By now your weight gain is probably between 24 and 29 pounds. Discomfort and sleeping problems are common around this time. It won't be too much longer.
It's hard to believe that our little guy is almost done "cooking." Even more amazing is that, if he were born today, he'd be OK and ready to go. Can't wait to meet him!!!
Thursday, August 20, 2009
The...Penis on the Bus?!?!?
Chalk this one up to another proud moment for fathers everywhere...
This afternoon, Chris got off the bus and told me that the bus driver wanted to talk to me. I eyed him suspiciously (Chris, that is...not the driver), and asked him if he was in trouble. Naturally, he assured me that he had been a perfect angel all the way home, and that he couldn't possibly be in trouble...HA!
After all of the kids had climbed off of the bus, I warily approached to chat with the driver. He leans down close so that he's out of ear shot of the kids in the front seat, and says to me, "He (meaning Chris) was yelling 'PENIS' pretty loudly on the way home. I thought I'd let you take care of that one."
NICE, CHRIS! Obviously, we cornered him to see exactly what the heck he was thinking. Thinking quickly and blaming the powers of peer pressure, Chris assured us that yelling out "PENIS!" on the bus had been the brain child of some other kid named Gabe. We told him that, of course, yelling "PENIS!" on the bus is completely unacceptable, and that if anyone tells him that he should do it again, he is to tell them that it's inappropriate, and that he won't be doing it.
This CLEARLY falls into the category of "I need to yell at my kid, but I can barely keep a straight face while I'm doing it." They NEVER tell you that you're going to have to deal with things like this as a parent...consider yourself warned! :-)
This afternoon, Chris got off the bus and told me that the bus driver wanted to talk to me. I eyed him suspiciously (Chris, that is...not the driver), and asked him if he was in trouble. Naturally, he assured me that he had been a perfect angel all the way home, and that he couldn't possibly be in trouble...HA!
After all of the kids had climbed off of the bus, I warily approached to chat with the driver. He leans down close so that he's out of ear shot of the kids in the front seat, and says to me, "He (meaning Chris) was yelling 'PENIS' pretty loudly on the way home. I thought I'd let you take care of that one."
NICE, CHRIS! Obviously, we cornered him to see exactly what the heck he was thinking. Thinking quickly and blaming the powers of peer pressure, Chris assured us that yelling out "PENIS!" on the bus had been the brain child of some other kid named Gabe. We told him that, of course, yelling "PENIS!" on the bus is completely unacceptable, and that if anyone tells him that he should do it again, he is to tell them that it's inappropriate, and that he won't be doing it.
This CLEARLY falls into the category of "I need to yell at my kid, but I can barely keep a straight face while I'm doing it." They NEVER tell you that you're going to have to deal with things like this as a parent...consider yourself warned! :-)
Friday, August 14, 2009
Getting Closer Every Week!
First, this note from our friends at WebMD...
Congratulations, Holly! You're 33 weeks pregnant! Your baby measures about 19.4 inches from head to toe and weighs about 4.4 pounds. In the next few weeks, your baby will be growing rapidly. He will gain more than half his birth weight in the next
seven weeks. Baby begins to move less now as he runs our of room and curls up with knees bent, chin resting on chest, and arms and legs crossed. Of the pound a week you're gaining now, roughly half is going to your baby.
Sorry...no witty comments this week. It's been a long week with Chris as school, and waking up at 6:00 AM has sapped my creative spirit a little bit. Maybe next time... :-)
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