I'm A T-Tapp Success!

No, I am not at my goal weight.  No I am not "done."  Yes, I have made amazing progress.  Yes, I still have a long way to go.

Over a month ago I was contacted by the staff at T-Tapp.com and was asked to write a T-Tapp Success Story!  They had noticed that my posting about the success I have experienced doing T-Tapp  was very encouraging to other women on the T-Tapp Forums!

After getting encouragement from several friends and online friends I decided to take them up on their offer and I wrote the following as my T-Tapp testimony.  It will be live on their site, I am told, on Tuesday, August 12!

Here's what I wrote for that story:

My T-Tapp Success Story

Before I began T-tapp in June 2012, then 11 months of doing T-Tapp!

First I need to give you some background for you to see how significant this “Success Story” is in my life. As a child and teenager I was very aware that I was not skinny like all the models and popular kids in school. I started my first diet in junior high. Through high school I tried every fad diet that came along (that I could afford), and even tried diet pills and ended up anorexic during my senior year, getting to my lowest adult weight of 135 (I am 5 ft 10 in and have a large bone structure). After recovering from that I swore off dieting. I went to college the next fall and during my freshman year I gained weight like never before. I ended up weighing 185 when I went home for summer break. That summer I succumbed to my anorexia again, but this time I was an exercising maniac. I did alternated aerobics and weight lifting while eating next to nothing. By the end of the summer I was down to 150. I kept on my regime, eating one small meal a day (if at all), living on diet pills and diet pop. I even became an aerobics instructor that year. This continue until the next fall. Then I became engaged to my best friend, swore off dieting, and promptly put on 20 pounds when I went on birth control pills to prepare for being married.

Fast forward 15 years. I had not dieted in the least, and had gone through 8 pregnancies. I had lost the baby weight after my first baby, but never again. I was usually around 220 - 240 between pregnancies. Then I found the Atkins Diet. Long story short, but I lost weight and got down to 190, but it wreaked havoc on my health. After another pregnancy, the loss of a dearly beloved niece, and a miscarriage I suffered from severe adrenal fatigue (diagnosed by a naturopathic doctor). I began to take my health seriously. I ate right and took supplements and was able to recover and went on to have more babies. I then seemed to be around 240 – 250 between pregnancies. After my 10^th baby I even did Curves for over a year and got fit and lost a few pounds, but had to step down after I got pregnant with my 10^th baby.

Fast forward again. I didn't diet again until I found myself pushing 280 pounds after spending months in the hospital with our 11^th child, Esther, who has Down Syndrome and was born with a heart defect, which required open heart surgery when she was just 3 months old. All the hospital food and sitting around really did a number on my weight, and being 45 didn't help either. I also, for the first time, hod my blood pressure elevated high enough to require that I go on high blood pressure medication. So when Esther was 1 ½ years old we were introduced to the Body For Life regime and both my husband and I tried that. I was able to regain my health and strength over a period of 3 months and drop about 30 pounds, but then it stalled. The program was just not doable in the long run when I had a large family to care for. 30 – 45 minutes every day and eating separate meals just didn't work. I was able to maintain the weight loss, but even thought I tried several times, I just could not stay with the regimen. One benefit from losing the extra pounds was I was able to go off of high blood pressure med, but my BP was still hovering in the upper ranges of normal. Good but not great.

Two years after starting BFL I was still at 250 and I got pregnant at 47 years of age. We were surprised to say the least. Due to some pregnancy complications (mostly due to my age) I was on bed rest starting at 30 weeks, put on high blood pressure medication again, and ended up having Carese 3 weeks early via emergency C-Section due to cord compression. She was so tiny but so healthy. I was thrilled to be able to go home with my baby so quickly. I was looking forward to gaining the strength that I had lost during all the bed rest! Only problem was, I injured my knee when she was 6 weeks old, and it turned out to be a major knee injury requiring me to be on crutches off and on for the next 4 months. Needless to say I got weaker and gained more weight, topping out at an all time high non-pregnancy weight of 285. My blood pressure also remained high, requiring me to stay on medication.

Just after I was off crutches I heard about T-Tapp! I was sent a link to Charlotte Siems website (http://charlottesiems.com/ ). I was amazed that a fellow mom of 12 could lose all the weight and keep it off for years. I knew that if she could do it, so could I! I ordered the MORE 2 and did my measuring and started my 14 day boot-camp the middle of August 2012. I still had pain in my knee quit often and iced it every night. I also got involved in the T-Tapp Forums and found a great resource for encouragement and advice! After just a few weeks of T-Tapp I was pain free and going quickly up and down the stairs and I was able to discontinue using blood pressure medication with the approval of my doctor. It was amazing! I was losing about 4 inches per week for the first month or so. I was consistently doing my workouts three times a week. By the beginning of December I had moved on to MORE 2 and I had lost over 40 inches! I was struggling with some shoulder and back issues by then (due to nursing my baby in bed at “my old age”, so as I turned 49 I found my self very limited in what I could do in my workouts. I continued to do what I could and turned to the T-Tapp forums for help too. I learned about Magnesium and finally gave it a try. After over a month of back spasms, they went away the first time I sprayed Magnesium oil on my lower back! They did come back, but each time I used the MO and used ice and they went away again. I started a nightly routine of spraying MO and after a few weeks they were gone. My shoulder continued to give me trouble, but that was easier to work around than back spasms!

Through the rest of that winter and spring I sporadically did MORE 2 and tried to eat relatively healthy foods and even did a few bouts of being sugar/white flour free. My inch loss slowed to about 4 inches a month. I was very busy processing our newest journey, that of international adoption. After a wild month of fund raising in April I decided to take May off – no workouts, eating whatever. That was the first month since starting T-Tapp that I actually gained inches – a whopping 16 inches in just 4 weeks! Not good!

Once our paperwork was submitted for our adoption and we began the wait, I realized that I really needed to get ready for two trips abroad! But I had pushed myself too hard for too long. I was still nursing a toddler “at my age” and not getting enough sleep most nights. I just couldn't get myself moving, yet I pushed myself to get some projects done anyway. Very quickly I found my self showing signs of adrenal fatigue again. So I did a short round of juicing, resting and taking supplements recommended for adrenal fatigue. When I hit day 8 of the juice fast I simultaneously “hit the wall” and could not go on and heard about an awesome new book about eating healthy for moms! I worked my way off of the juice fast and started doing my MORE 2 workouts while I waited for the book. I started the “Trim Healthy Mama” way of eating three weeks ago and it's amazing – even makes use of some of the amazing things that I learned about from the T-Tapp Forums!). It's healthy and balanced, and I'm eating a wide variety of foods and does not seem like a diet at all. This is very doable for the long run as I'm eating nearly all the foods that I like to eat, with just a few tweaks and being careful about which foods I eat together! I was sure I would gain back inches eating this way, but I didn't, I continued to lose inches! I also started a 28 day T-Tapp challenge so I was doing my T-Tapp faithfully again for the first time in months (I still have a little shoulder pain, but I am finally able to do all the movements again!). From the beginning of June until now I have lost 31 inches (including re-losing those 16 inches that I gained in May), for a total overall inch loss of over 70 inches in 11 months. I was finally able to use a friend's scale and found that I have lost about 30 pounds since I began this T-Tapp journey.

Best of all I'm starting to have some energy again. Also my blood pressure is now averaging the BP of a teenager! It's the lowest it's been in over 10 years! I still have days where I struggle, but I've had some wonderful days of tackling long ignored projects too! I know I have not even made it close to my “goal weight” but I really have no idea what that weight will be. I have about 70 pounds to lose to get to the weight I was when I got married, but with my T-Tapp “long, lean muscle fibers” I might still fit into my wedding dress but weigh more and be in better shape! My daughter is very similar to my build at her age, so if I go by her measurements I have about 45 inches to lose – now that sounds very encouraging and do-able to me!

So, you may ask, “What is so successful about your story?” No, I'm not at my goal “measurements” and no where near my old idea of “ideal weight”, but I have made great strides in the past 11 months. With the exception of one month, I have consistently lost inches, even when I was rarely doing my T-Tapp. I'd go for weeks without doing a workout and yet find I had lost little if any strength or endurance! But when I am consistent with my workouts, I do lose the inches faster. I have succeeded at losing 2/3s of my extra inches in less than a year. That is success. That is inspiring. I'm inspired to keep on keeping on – for the rest of my life. My goal is to be able to do the 15 minute workout someday. 15 minutes, three times a week for life sounds wonderful. So does finding a new “goal measurement”. So if you take anything away from my story, remember to “do what you can,” take your measurements, and throw out that scale!

That's it, that's my story up to last month.  As of this week I've been doing T-Tapp for an entire year.  I've never done any exercise program for that long!  And I'm back at it even after our family vacation!  In fact, I'm going to try doing the Basic Workout every day and see how that goes!  Also, I am now doing the BWO+ that I had mentioned in my testimonial as something I hoped to do someday!  I've been doing that workout for almost a month now!  Hurray!  I'm due to measure, as I try to measure 1 - 2 times a month, but my measuring tape is missing!

Three Decade of Fertility is now Available for Ordering!

You can order it in PDF ($6.99), or kindle/Nook ($8.99) or in Paperback (my favorite - $14.99!

Please use the link at the top of the left hand column, or click on this banner:




I got my own copy in paperback ( and a few to give as gifts) and I have been reading it.  This book is amazing.  It'a like sitting down in a living room with 10 women who have "been there, done that" more than most women in the world.

They share their struggles, their triumphs, their losses and their blessings.  And then you even get their answers to some tough questions, like how do you deal with repeated miscarriages and pregnancy loss?

What can you expect if you are to carry a baby to term in your 40s?  How can you deal with the wear and tear on your body after so many pregnancies?  How do you manage a family with babies and teens and 20 somethings all at the same time?

This book does not preach anyone way to look at fertility as each woman has followed God's leading as He has taken each one through their unique journey of faith.  I'm sure you will enjoy this book, and I  know I can't wait to read more chapters...but I'll be fighting for reading rights along with my daughters and they are anxious to read it too!

Please comment if you have read the book and tell me what you think!

More Quotes from Three Decades of Fertility

No, no new letter yet.  But I have something just as good!  Last fall I was asked to contribute to a book about childbearing years.  The authors all have two things in common.  They have all given birth throughout their childbearing years.  Some had many children (like me) and some had only a few, with long time spans between having babies.  The second thing they all have in common is that they are women of faith.  Faith in the God of the Bible, and they each recognize that He is the author and creator of life, and that God uses our childbearing years to create us to be Christlike.

Relinquishing control (or perceived control) of our bodies to the creative work of pregnancy and childbirth has many correlations to the walk of a believer.  We have to take a back seat in order to really see the glory of what Christ is doing in us.  If we fight against God and choose to give in to our natural desire to control our lives in any way, then we are not allowing God to be Lord of our lives, and we will suffer for it.  If in no other way, we suffer from stress.  Because we are not God, we are not created with the ability to control most things, so when we try, we are putting stress into our lives.

Anyway, all that to say that this book is a great collection of stories.  Stories of faith and trust.  Stories of learning to recognize God's hand even in times of difficulty.  Stories of triumph and stories of intense heartache.  I wish all women of faith could read this book and learn of these women who have, in so many ways, "Been There, Done That."

Three Decades of Fertility will be released in paperback and E-book on July 29, Lord Willing!  You can use the banner at the top of this or the link near the top of the right side bar for ordering (I will get a commission on your order so thanks in advance for ordering using my link!  With two trips to an Eastern European to rescue Priscilla, I'm sure any extra income will come in handy!).

But without further ado, please watch the trailer below, and click on the image in my side bar to read more about this book, and get a sneak peak at some of the stories, as well as other parts, of the book!

Another Teaser...

Release Date is July 20!

I will be an associate selling copies via this blog...stay tuned for links!

Please spread the word - pin this/blog this!

It will minister to so many women!

Here's a quote from my chapter/question answers:

"The very thing you fear most will not be sent your way without the grace that only God can give. When I have been in trying and difficult times, God's grace has enabled me to endure in ways that I could not have understood beforehand. So when I worry about the “what if”s, I am on my own. I experience the trials in my imagination without the grace that God will provide if and when that trial comes to me from His loving hand. God does not promise that His grace is sufficient for the "what ifs" - but He does promise in II Cor 2:9 that "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" and in Phil 4:13 "I can do everything through him who gives me strength" - He will give us the strength to do what He asks us to do, and the grace needed for each day."

Three Decades of Fertility - Book to Release Soon!

I wrote a chapter for this book.  I have read many of the other chapters and they are amazing stories of God's grace and faithfulness as these women live out their lives as moms, devoted to giving the "best years of their lives" to the amazing mission of motherhood.

The book is due to release in early July, and I'll be selling it right here on my blog!


Three Decades of Fertility - Trailer from Visionary Womanhood on Vimeo.

Contemplating Charis

Charis, pronounced "Khar-ees" is a Greek word found in the New Testament and is often translated as "Grace," "Graceful," "Gift of God" or "Gracious Gift."  It's definition as found in the Strong's Exhaustive Concordance is "The divine influence on the heart as manifested in the life."  This is where we got the name for our little baby girl, Carese.  She is the physical manifestation of God's influence in our lives.  The faith that He has granted us to trust Him.  To put our lives on the line and follow His leading where ever that may take us.  Do we ever doubt, struggle or fall?  Yes.  But He's always there to pick us up, dust off the dirt and forgive us.  When we trust Him whole heartedly, He give us gifts that we would never dream would be so good for us.  Sometimes those gifts are things we would naturally, unknowingly avoid.  Others we fear.  But God is always good, in every thing and in every way.  He has proven this in our lives through the conception, pregnancy and birth of Carese.  Let me share with you how God worked to bring her into this world.

At our church camp out last week, there was the sharing time that happens every year on Saturday night.  I began to think through my last year since that event last year and my heart was full.

You see, last year at that event my husband shared that we were expecting our 12th blessing.  We had no idea what the future held.  I was already experiencing some unusual pregnancy problems, like accelerated heart rate/dizziness.  We had no idea how the next year would go.

The first hurdle was making it thought the first trimester without experiencing a miscarriage.  I experienced spotting on almost a daily basis, along with the feeling of being very fragile - like going up and down stairs might cause me to miscarry was the kind of feeling I was having. After some early blood work, the OB (who I hadn't even met with yet) prescribed progesterone suppositories for me and the feeling of fragility went away as did the spotting.

I got to meet the OB at 9 weeks, and had an ultrasound that showed Carese's little heart beating away.  The OB was surprised that I had conceived at my age (then 47), and even asked if we had been using fertility treatments!  She said something about it being amazing that I had conceived so late in life!  She was not terribly optimistic though, as she said she wanted me in for another ultrasound in 4 weeks to confirm if the pregnancy was still viable.

She also discussed with me that it was very likely that this baby would also have Down Syndrome since I had already had a child with Trisomy 21.  According to statistics, 1 in 100 babies born to mothers who have conceived a child with T21 who are of advance maternal age (AMA).  For the rest of the population of mothers conceiving, it'a 1 in 1000 births, and for women over 40 it drops to 1 in 100, over 45 1 in 30.  So that means that it was probably 1 in 3 that this baby would have T21.  She encouraged us to have testing done, but we refused.  I shared with my daughter's pediatrician "What's so scary about this" while I pointed to our daughter Ester:

I did agree that the health issues with a child with T21 can be difficult to deal with, but that I would welcome another child with T21.  Esther is the best nature baby/toddler/child we've had yet!  We did decide that it would be a good idea to get a good look at this baby's heart to rule out a heart defect, but that was much later in the pregnancy.

The next 11 weeks went fine - I was feeling tired, but that was about it.  I did have some problems with feeling my heart beat throughout my upper body/head when lying down at night, but didn't think much about it.

Starting at the end of October I came down with a bad cold.  After 2 weeks I shared with a friend that I was so done with being sick, that I wanted to be active again, but that I felt that God was giving me some kind of message about slowing down and taking it easy...I had no idea!

At my 20 week appointment, we had the next ultrasound and also found out that we were having a girl.  They were concerned about my BP so they asked me to come in again in 2 weeks.  I did, and in the meantime I was still sick (1 month after my comment to my friend).  I was also having stomach problems that I thought might be the beginnings of an ulcer.  The OB I saw that day poo-pooed the idea.

One week later, I was working at the computer when I felt like I was going to pass out, which I did right after calling my daughter to get her help.  After being taken to the hospital in an ambulance, they determined that my sinus infection had moved into my ears and caused me to be dizzy, adding to that my stomach ulcer, I passed out.  I was told to go home and not do anything that would cause me to get dizzy again - no computer/movies/reading....nothing that causes the eyes to move rapidly!  That's some pretty strict limitations.  After getting on antibiotics and stuff, I was off those restrictions in about 2 weeks.

The following month, just after having those restrictions lifted, they determined that my BP was significant and sent me to a specialist at the University of Washington.  I was told there that I had high cardiac output and high blood pressure.  These two indicated that it was likely that I would develop Preclampsia, a potentially fatal pregnancy complication.  I was put on strict limitations - I was not allowed to do anything that would elevate my heart rate!

We also had a fetal echocardiogram to check for any heart defects, and these was something there.  The cardiologist, whom we had worked with at Seattle Children's Hospital when Esther was there for her heart surgery, saw something that could be either nothing or a small VSD.  But she said that is was so small that the worst would be that she would have a heart murmur.

So, it was amazing/miraculous that I got pregnant, miraculous that I didn't miscarry, amazing that she had no heart defect, and now it would be miraculous if the pregnancy would not be ended early (via induction) due to pre-eclampsia!  We also possibly faced having to deliver at the U of W!

Well, I was a good girl, and the meds they gave me worked.  I had to change a lot of things with the kids chores and such to basically do nothing for the next 4 months, but we made it work.  Everything continued to go fine, seeing the specialist once a month and the OB every 2 weeks until we hit the last 6 weeks.  Then I had to go in every week for non-stress tests and ultrasounds as now we face possibly placental compromise (common in pregnancies with chronic high blood pressure).

Here I am about an hour before the coded me.
I had no idea what was about to happen.

At 36 weeks, Carese started showing sign of distress, so an induction was planned.  They told us about the potential of her needing to stay in the special care nursery for up to a week or so due to coming early, but that was better than her staying put and getting weaker.

 It took a few days to get into the hospital, and then a 2 day attempt at induction, going home for one night, and then things started to progress during the second attempt (but not until after another 36 hours).  I wasn't in labor, just mild infrequent contractions on pitocin.  They broke my water and everything was fine for a couple of hours.  Then I had a gush of fluid and after that her heart rate would decellerate during and after every contraction.  The checked and found that her cord had gotten trapped between her head and my cervix.  This is not something that happens often, but when it does it's life threatening.

They called "code purple" and in about 5 minutes I was being wheeled down the hallway to the OR.  Five minutes later (5 of the most difficult minutes of my life), they came and told Daryl and our daughters that Carese was born and doing fine!








She only weighed 4 pounds 14 oz, but she was a fighter.  She had great apgar scores and was held by everyone while they were waiting for me to wake up!  She was very serious about eating, as she had no baby fat whatsoever.  She was so incredibly perfect, but so incredibly tiny!







I've heard moms lament about not being with their baby for that precious bonding time, but I did not experience any such problems.  I knew she was mine, all mine, sent straight from the hand of my Father.  A precious gift to confound the specialists and fact finders and statistics.

She did not have Down Syndrome, she did not have any heart defect whatsoever, and she did not spend weeks in the special care nursery.  I would have loved her the same if she had come to us with all of the above, but I was amazed that God would do this to confound the experts.

Throughout the pregnancy, my dear husband, Daryl, prayed for three things - the easiest labor yet (got that as I never got into labor), Carese would be perfect and that I would be an example, encouragement and inspiration to other women.  God granted all his requests.  I tease Darryl that he should have prayed for an easy delivery, but even there God knew best as now I can relate to other women who have experienced emergency C-Sections.

So, my time of being "on the shelf" was far from over back in October when I was tired of being unable to do much.  In fact, just when I started to recover from my emergency C-Section, I twisted my knee and ended up dealing with  crutches and such for 4 months.  I am now, a year and a month after discovering that I was pregnant, finally back on my feet and able to start doing normal activities with my family.  I have learned much, especially to appreciate the little things like being able to carry my sweet Esther, or making dinner for my family, or actually walking into church holding my precious miracle baby.

She is our miracle, She is our gift.  She is our statement of faith.

I couldn't imagine going through a pregnancy at my age before I did.  I would not have thought I was strong enough.  But God knew that I could with the grace that He alone could give me.

With God all things are possible.  God can do anything, anytime, anywhere.  Statistics only show us how God has chosen to act in the past, and are no indication of how He is working or will work in the future.

We are so thankful!  And I think she is too: