My F8 key is the shortcut key assigned in Word to Extend Selection, but for some reason, with my Kinesis Advantage2 keyboard, pressing F8 did not work that way. So, my workaround was to assign Alt+F8 in Word for Extend Selection, and then I was able to create my IT command:
{Ctrl Left}{Alt F8 3}{Escape}
{Ctrl Left} accounts for the space after the period. I tried the command without {Ctrl Left} and it highlights the entire paragraph.
Anyway, thanks again for your help - I definitely would not have figured this one out on my own as I did not know about the Extend Selection in Word. :)