Borgstede Christmas 2008

Christmas 2008

We had a fantastic Christmas holiday here at the Borgstede house. Click on the picture above to see our Holiday photo album.

Happy New Year!

Stroke Prevention and Awareness

Heart disease runs strongly in my family, especially on my Dad's side (he died of heart disease when he was 57, I was 20), so it's always on my radar. I'm constantly looking for ways to lower my heart disease risk factors. I realize that family history is still working against me, but I want to do everything in my power to keep my ticker going strong. It was one of my motivations to lose the weight I did.

However a new topic, one I hadn't really thought of before, has come to my attention and that is Stroke risk. My good friend Criss became Stroke Coordinator at the hospital where she works, and I've learned so much from her. Thankfully the measures we take to reduce heart disease also reduce stroke risk. I wrote a two part article about it here:

http://buzz.prevention.com/community/category/trimom73

Stroke is a leading reason for death and disability in our country, and time is absolutely of the essense in stroke situations, so it's important to get the word out about signs and symptoms!

Guilty Indulgence

Check out my latest Guilty Blog Indulgence: a blog devoted solely to Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Be still my beating heart!

I'm not much of a candy eater anymore, but those who know me well, know one of my all-time favorite foods is Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. (And well really, anything involving Peanut Butter. And chocolate.)

My poor husband is deathly allergic to peanuts. It's a wonder he married me. I'm guessing just reading this blog would make him itchy. Sorry, honey, but this one is just too good to pass up!

Rivers of Water

Here in arid Colorado, water is a precious resource. Rivers of water flowing in the mountains? Beautiful. Rivers of water flowing from under my washing machine? Umm...not so good.

That was the sight greeting me as I came downstairs on Saturday evening. I'm not talking a trickle of water. I'm talking a flood. Apparently something is leaking on the tub of our washing machine. I'm not sure how much water a large washing machine holds, but let's just say it's enough to soak every single towel I own and I was thinking I grabbing blankets next. Rebekah and Kiersten were helping me and we were down to washcloths and hand towels before the water finally slowed to a drip!

This is one of a long string of break downs we've had since starting our new budget system early this Fall. We are following Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University and it's been a wonderful experience (I would highly recommend his books and classes) but I do feel the Devil is out to get us with all the various break-downs we've had!

Mike wrote about his new adventures into becoming a handyman in his blog, so I'll allow him to share the details.

We have no solutions to the washing machine yet. Currently it's in many pieces spread throughout my hallway and downstairs bathroom. I'm just praying it's a repair and not an autopsy I see going on in there.

My Thanksgiving List

Just for today, in honor of Thanksgiving...

...instead of griping that it's too cold to run outside, I'll be thankful I have warm tech clothes to wear.
...instead of wishing I could run faster, I'll be thankful my injuries are quiet enough I can run at all.
...instead of longing for a thinner body, I'll be thankful for the weight loss I've maintained.
...instead of gnashing my teeth every time I see others eating junk food, I'll be thankful I have the personal strength to make healthy choices.
...instead of saying I "have" to go work out, I'll say, I "get" to go work out.
...instead of focusing on the pain for now, I'll focus on the great feeling when it's over.
...instead of longing to finish races at the front (or even the middle), I'll remember so many others who never get to the starting line at all.

National Adoption Day: Remembering

Grab a cup of coffee or hot tea and sit down to remember with me our family's memories of 2 years ago today, National Adoption Day, when Paul Robert Borgstede joined our family officially.

Paul's story began on April 27th, 2004, when he and his twin brother were born at 25 weeks (15 weeks premature). Paul's twin brother, Alex, died when he was two months old due to complications from the prematurity, and Paul himself was not expected to live on several occassions. He's a trooper though and pulled through. This is what he looked like during that time:

When Paul was 3 months old he went to live with his birth family. It was when he was 5 months old that he came into our lives. Doyle, the director of the foster care unit for Lutheran Family Services at that time, called to tell me about a premature 5 month old boy named Paul, and would we be interested in taking him? The next day Mike and I were at the hospital holding him. This is Paul the night we brought him to our home:

We brought Paul into our family knowing very little about his medical issues, but as the days passed we learned the severity of his complex medical history. We jumped in with both feet, scheduling therapy and learning new medical terms. Daily therapy, medications, stretching exercises, feeding problems, oxygen, more feeding problems...this was Paul's life and now it was ours.

We also began to learn more about Paul's birth family and their life situations, and the county he was placed with began the long and challenging process of family reunification. The reunification process is usually a long and complicated one, with the county trying desperating to mend the biological family if at all possible, and Paul's case was no exception.

Meanwhile Paul was growing. We were becoming more attached to him and he was attaching to us. He was developing at his own special pace, but it was happening. The serious, sick little baby who came to us was becoming a smiling, energetic little guy:

After about two years of many ups, downs, twists, and turns with the court system, we learned we would indeed be getting our "happy ending!" Paul would be avaible for adoption, and our family was first in line to adopt him! We agreed to a semi-open adoption so Paul will still know his birth family and visit them a few times a year.

November 17th, 2006 became the Borgstede family's "Forever Family Day" on National Adoption Day. It was a special day for Paul but really it was a day of celebration for each of us, as we became our new family. Rebekah, Kiersten, and Josiah gained a new brother, and Mike and I a son.

The adoption service was short, but the moment I'll never forget was when the judge turned to Paul and said, "Paul, this is your Mommy, and this is your Daddy, and forever and ever, no matter what, nothing will ever change that."

I think most of us were teary through the whole event, but at that moment there was barely a dry eye in the house!

After the adoption we had an amazing party because it was just too wonderful not to celebrate big!

Now here I sit today, two years later looking back on those moments. When we first expressed interest in adopting Paul, one of the members of his birth family had real concerns about how we could love Paul as much as we love our own birth children, and how we could treat him as fairly. There is no way to put into words my feelings but truly he is our son in every possible way. I couldn't love him one tiny bit more if I had given birth to him. He gets love, hugs, time-outs, presents, smiles, scoldings, and attention just like every other child in our home.

We also faced many unknowns with Paul's medical issues. The future is uncertain in some ways, but he's doing incredibly well. He still receives therapy and special help at pre-school, but in all the important ways he's a typical child. He writes, he counts, he runs (oh, yes, he runs and runs and runs!) with no more leg braces or special equipment needed. He is our miracle.

"For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted my petition that I made to Him."

-- I Samuel 1:27

Kiersten: Future Triathlete?

My kids have been some of my greatest cheerleaders since I started racing. Their support means the world to me!

Kiersten (10 years old) has especially been excited about the whole racing scene and often asks when she can do her first Triathlon. I'm really proud of the progress she has made in this last year with her overall fitness and her desire to make healthy choices.

This fall our local school, Arrowhead Elementary, sponsored a program called Kids Running America. The kids practiced twice a week after school for several weeks, logging their miles in the effort to eventually run 26 miles total, a full marathon, over the course of the weeks. They ran their last mile at the Denver Marathon Kids' Race. Kiersten and Josiah both participated in the program and did an awesome job! They were so proud of their medals!

Kiersten and I have set a goal to run a 5K together next Spring, so we're going to be running together once a week in preparation. So far we've run twice and she's a great running partner. I enjoy our conversation as much as the running. We're both adjusting to the cooler temperatures and learning what layers to wear for these chilly winter mornings!


This picture says it all. Kiersten is a really awesome kid. I'm so blessed to have her for a daughter -- and running partner!