A mark for every breath you took, every blink, every sleepy yawn. One for every time you sucked your thumb, waved hello, closed your eyes and slept in the most perfect darkness. One for every time you had the hiccups. One for every dream you dreamed within me. It isn't very pretty anymore. Some may even think it ugly. That's OK. It was your home. It's where I first grew to love you, where I lay my hand as I dreamed about who you were and who you would be. It held you until my arms could, and for that, I will always find something beautiful in it.
(A friend of mine posted this on Facebook and I thought it was beautiful.)
Friday, August 12, 2011
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Raspberry Filled Butter Cookies
As a mom of five children (and one on the way) I am always looking for quick and easy recipes, whether it be for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or in this case, cookies. I love to make butter cookies, especially when I have two very impatient toddlers begging for a snack, and I'm out of my usual arsenal of graham crackers, nilla wafers, and bananas. This time I decided to try something different. I put raspberry preserves in the middle :-)
Here's my recipe for a delightfully easy/yummy cookie:
1 stick of butter (may use 1/2 cup margarine)
1 cup flour
5 tablespoons of sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon of vanilla
raspberry preserves (or whatever flavor you prefer)
Preheat oven to 350.
Mix ingredients together and roll into balls. (I used a tablespoon to measure out the dough so the cookies would be the same size.)
Press thumb into the center of the balls to make a place to put the preserves then add enough preserves to fill that thumb indention.
Bake 10-13 minutes or until done.
I've recently made these using sugar free strawberry preserves and they turned out yummy too!
Here's my recipe for a delightfully easy/yummy cookie:
1 stick of butter (may use 1/2 cup margarine)
1 cup flour
5 tablespoons of sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon of vanilla
raspberry preserves (or whatever flavor you prefer)
Preheat oven to 350.
Mix ingredients together and roll into balls. (I used a tablespoon to measure out the dough so the cookies would be the same size.)
Press thumb into the center of the balls to make a place to put the preserves then add enough preserves to fill that thumb indention.
Bake 10-13 minutes or until done.
I've recently made these using sugar free strawberry preserves and they turned out yummy too!
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
My Preterm Labor Scare
Late Monday/early Tuesday of last week I had a bit of Déjà vu... Just like my pregnancies with Alex and Jaina, I had an episode of preterm labor. Last Monday afternoon I began to have contractions that were a couple minutes apart so I drank a bunch of water and laid down to rest. After a little while they stopped but I had a nasty headache so I took some Tylenol (didn't help). A few more hours go by and at around 9pm the contractions start up again. They were a couple minutes apart and I still had the headache. I laid down again and tried to relax, drank some more water, but this time they weren't going away so finally (after much debate because I didn't want to wake the kiddos) I went to the hospital to be checked out. Tom stayed home with the kids because it was so late.
By the time I got there it was 1:30 Tuesday morning. They hooked me up to the moniter and saw that I was definitely contracting every couple minutes so they did an internal check and found that I was dilated 4cm... I had the nurses pretty concerned lol. While all this was going on a lady from registration came in to get my info and while I was answering the questions, one of the nurses got onto the lady for asking too many personal questions. The lady apologized and said that she was new and that she was just following the questionaire sheet then left. The nurses then had me move to a different room and hooked me up to an IV of fluids, antibiotics, and Mag Sulfate. I also had the joy of getting a catheter since they had to make sure I didn't OD on the Mag Sulfate. A lab tech then came to draw my blood and missed my vein the first time. The nurse went off on him saying if he couldn't get it the first time to get someone else to do it then proceeded to draw my blood. I was thinking in my head by this time that I shouldn't make this chick mad lol. Otherwise she was very nice to me at least... Another nurse then gave me a steroid shot for the baby's lungs.
After I got all settled in for the morning, the nurses would come in every hour or two to check on me to make sure I was doing okay and checked once or twice to make sure I hadn't dilated more. I also had to have my blood drawn every 4 hours to check my mag sulfate levels. After a little while the meds did their job and made the contractions almost non existent. Around mid morning the doctor came by to see me and made sure I wasn't dilated any more also. He told me that I would get the mag sulfate for at least the next 24 hours and then if things were okay then I could possibly go home.
A little before lunch time Tom was able to come up to the hospital when my mother-in-law came to the house to watch the kiddos. She helped them pack up and brought them by the hospital that afternoon to see me before going to stay with her for a few days. The rest of the day Tom and I spent time together watching tv while I laid in bed resting. I didn't like being stuck in bed and getting "poked and prodded" lol but I knew it was for the best and I had Tom with me which helped a bunch. He even stayed the night with me in the uncomfortable chair after I begged him to go home and get a good night's sleep! When I was ready for bed they gave me an Ambien to help me sleep and it did a good job :-)
The next morning Tom went home to shower and I was taken off the mag sulfate at around 8-9am. Shortly after that they took out the IV and catheter then around 11-11:30 the doc said I could go home on bedrest...
Today I had a followup appointment and the doctor said I don't have to be on bedrest anymore but "no marathon trips to Walmart." Those were his exact words lol. He also said that at this point, if I go into labor, they won't do anything to stop it since I'm 35 weeks tomorrow.
So that was my preterm labor experience for this pregnancy. It was unpleasant but luckily the process was made easier to deal with because of wonderful supportive friends, family, and medical professionals. I want to thank everyone who kept me and baby Analeia in their thoughts and prayers. I love you all and God bless :-)
By the time I got there it was 1:30 Tuesday morning. They hooked me up to the moniter and saw that I was definitely contracting every couple minutes so they did an internal check and found that I was dilated 4cm... I had the nurses pretty concerned lol. While all this was going on a lady from registration came in to get my info and while I was answering the questions, one of the nurses got onto the lady for asking too many personal questions. The lady apologized and said that she was new and that she was just following the questionaire sheet then left. The nurses then had me move to a different room and hooked me up to an IV of fluids, antibiotics, and Mag Sulfate. I also had the joy of getting a catheter since they had to make sure I didn't OD on the Mag Sulfate. A lab tech then came to draw my blood and missed my vein the first time. The nurse went off on him saying if he couldn't get it the first time to get someone else to do it then proceeded to draw my blood. I was thinking in my head by this time that I shouldn't make this chick mad lol. Otherwise she was very nice to me at least... Another nurse then gave me a steroid shot for the baby's lungs.
After I got all settled in for the morning, the nurses would come in every hour or two to check on me to make sure I was doing okay and checked once or twice to make sure I hadn't dilated more. I also had to have my blood drawn every 4 hours to check my mag sulfate levels. After a little while the meds did their job and made the contractions almost non existent. Around mid morning the doctor came by to see me and made sure I wasn't dilated any more also. He told me that I would get the mag sulfate for at least the next 24 hours and then if things were okay then I could possibly go home.
A little before lunch time Tom was able to come up to the hospital when my mother-in-law came to the house to watch the kiddos. She helped them pack up and brought them by the hospital that afternoon to see me before going to stay with her for a few days. The rest of the day Tom and I spent time together watching tv while I laid in bed resting. I didn't like being stuck in bed and getting "poked and prodded" lol but I knew it was for the best and I had Tom with me which helped a bunch. He even stayed the night with me in the uncomfortable chair after I begged him to go home and get a good night's sleep! When I was ready for bed they gave me an Ambien to help me sleep and it did a good job :-)
The next morning Tom went home to shower and I was taken off the mag sulfate at around 8-9am. Shortly after that they took out the IV and catheter then around 11-11:30 the doc said I could go home on bedrest...
Today I had a followup appointment and the doctor said I don't have to be on bedrest anymore but "no marathon trips to Walmart." Those were his exact words lol. He also said that at this point, if I go into labor, they won't do anything to stop it since I'm 35 weeks tomorrow.
So that was my preterm labor experience for this pregnancy. It was unpleasant but luckily the process was made easier to deal with because of wonderful supportive friends, family, and medical professionals. I want to thank everyone who kept me and baby Analeia in their thoughts and prayers. I love you all and God bless :-)
Friday, July 22, 2011
Friday, July 15, 2011
New Doctor
My first appointment with the new doctor on Tuesday went well. He seems to be pretty much on the same page as me as far as labor and delivery wishes. Since I was Group B strep + last time though they will probably make us stay 48 hrs after baby is born regardless if I'm positive or not this time to monitor the baby. On another note, I asked about permanent birth control options and found out that as long as I don't have a nickel allergy then I should have no problem with the Essure procedure :-)
Friday, July 8, 2011
Pondering...
As the time for Analeia to arrive approaches, I find myself wondering about how she will look. Will she have my brown eyes like Alex does? What color will her hair be? Will she have any hair at all? It's fun to imagine what she will look like. All of our girls have blue eyes so I'm wondering if she will too but I will be happy with brown eyes too. I also wonder if she will be an easy baby like my last two or will she break the mold. Who knows... I guess in the end it doesn't really matter all that much, as long as she is healthy :-)
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Switching
Well after discussing it for a while with Tom, we decided to transfer care to an obgyn. I'm planning to get a tubal after baby is born (looking into NovaSure as well) and I know my midwife can't do that plus she was an hour from my house. Luckily I found one that will see me this late in the pregnancy and they have very good reviews :-) I also toured the maternity area of the hospital where I would deliver and was impressed by the fact that all my questions and concerns were addressed, I wasn't treated like a weirdo for going all natural, (I have in the past by irl friends, family, and people in the medical community) and it looks like I won't have to worry about unnecessary interventions... Plus it's less than 10 minutes from home! :-)
Friday, July 1, 2011
All's Well!
Sorry I took so long to update! My appointment showed that everything is okay! I found out my glucose is fine too :-) Now I'm just getting through one day at a time...
As of right now... I'm having one of those evenings. I'm just trying to cook dinner and have already broken a plate and my only measuring cup. But hey, if that's all I have to stress about, I'll gladly take it!
"This is the stuff that drives me crazy
This is the stuff that's getting to me lately
In the middle of my little mess
I forget how big I'm blessed
This is the stuff that gets under my skin
But I gotta trust You know exactly what You're doing
It might not be what I would choose
But this is the stuff You use"
from "This is the stuff" by Francesca Battistelli
As of right now... I'm having one of those evenings. I'm just trying to cook dinner and have already broken a plate and my only measuring cup. But hey, if that's all I have to stress about, I'll gladly take it!
"This is the stuff that drives me crazy
This is the stuff that's getting to me lately
In the middle of my little mess
I forget how big I'm blessed
This is the stuff that gets under my skin
But I gotta trust You know exactly what You're doing
It might not be what I would choose
But this is the stuff You use"
from "This is the stuff" by Francesca Battistelli
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Possible Complication
We could really use some prayers... Friday I had a sonogram to check the baby's kidneys because they couldn't see them in the 19 week sono. Kidneys are fine. Baby was just too small to see them last time. However I got a phone call from my midwife yesterday to let me know of a new problem. Apparently in Friday's sono the doctor found that the placenta is possibly aged prematurely to grade 3. Basically that means that the placenta possibly is not able to do as well as it should to nourish the baby. So the midwife referred me to maternal fetal medicine to get a more detailed sonogram and possible other testing to see if the placenta is truely as bad as it looked. That appointment is Monday. Good news is baby looks fine and the fluid is good so I've got a lot of good things going. I will hopefully have good news when I go to the doc on Monday :-)
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
26 weeks and summer's almost here!
I can't believe how fast this pregnancy is going by for me this time around! I just wanted to give an update...
I'm now 26 weeks along with a little girl! We are naming her Analeia Christine. I have my next appointment with the midwife in a couple weeks to get my Rhogam shot and do my 1 hr glucose screening (so fun, not! lol) I also have a repeat sono on the 10th because the tech couldn't see Analeia's kidneys last time. Luckily they said it's no big deal because she was moving around so much last time which made it hard to see them.
We are nowhere near ready for a new baby in the house... All we have are a few outfits and onsies that I found on sale lol. I know we'll be set by the time she arrives though. I am super excited about having another baby at the birth center with a midwife. My birth experience with Jaina is filled with so many wonderful memories and look forward to more good memories with Analeia's. Maybe I'll even get a water birth this time (Jaina came too quick hehe).
For the rest of our kiddos...
Jaina is doing good. She is super shy with everyone but me when I'm around but does well when I'm not around. She is very bright and sweet... Potty training is in progress. We are still working on timing :-)
Alex is the life of the party... All the big boys think he's the coolest 3 year old on the planet lol. He is very loud and has some pretty brutal tantrums but is generally sweet. He will talk to EVERYONE lol which is not always a good thing... He is getting so smart it's scary. He remembers everything. I'm planning to begin working with him on some prek stuff since his birthday is after September 1st and won't be able to go to prek until fall 2012. We are (still) working on potty training. I'm a little worried because I will take him potty then 5 minutes later he will be wet already. I don't know why he doesn't hold his bladder. If he's not trained by the time his well visit then I'm going to bring it up to his doctor. I do have to say that he is getting really good at going number 2 in the potty and rarely has accidents.
Myranda is getting a lot better with her school work. She just has to slow down and think about what she's doing sometimes. She (finally) likes to read. It took most of this year but she finally is onto chapter books! She has her down times emotionally. We are a little concerned and think it may be because she is too old to do a lot of things with her younger siblings and too young to do a lot of things with her older siblings...
Andrea is doing well. She competed with the school honor choir and they got 1st place in the Sandy Lake competition. She also had one of her art pieces featured in the Keller Art Show. She did very well with her TAKS (state standardized test) and got commended in Math! She is looking forward to going to camp with the church youth this year for the first time this summer :-)
Samara is doing good too. Her drama performances in school were awesome and she did well on her TAKS tests too. She got commended in Reading :-) She's looking forward to camp this summer as well but wasn't too thrilled to find out she will be bunking with Andrea lol. We are glad they will be together though because it's Andrea's first year... Also we just celebrated her 12th birthday... I can't believe she's almost a teenager! AAACCCKKK!!!! lol
That's about all... Hopefully I remember to update again soon!
I'm now 26 weeks along with a little girl! We are naming her Analeia Christine. I have my next appointment with the midwife in a couple weeks to get my Rhogam shot and do my 1 hr glucose screening (so fun, not! lol) I also have a repeat sono on the 10th because the tech couldn't see Analeia's kidneys last time. Luckily they said it's no big deal because she was moving around so much last time which made it hard to see them.
We are nowhere near ready for a new baby in the house... All we have are a few outfits and onsies that I found on sale lol. I know we'll be set by the time she arrives though. I am super excited about having another baby at the birth center with a midwife. My birth experience with Jaina is filled with so many wonderful memories and look forward to more good memories with Analeia's. Maybe I'll even get a water birth this time (Jaina came too quick hehe).
For the rest of our kiddos...
Jaina is doing good. She is super shy with everyone but me when I'm around but does well when I'm not around. She is very bright and sweet... Potty training is in progress. We are still working on timing :-)
Alex is the life of the party... All the big boys think he's the coolest 3 year old on the planet lol. He is very loud and has some pretty brutal tantrums but is generally sweet. He will talk to EVERYONE lol which is not always a good thing... He is getting so smart it's scary. He remembers everything. I'm planning to begin working with him on some prek stuff since his birthday is after September 1st and won't be able to go to prek until fall 2012. We are (still) working on potty training. I'm a little worried because I will take him potty then 5 minutes later he will be wet already. I don't know why he doesn't hold his bladder. If he's not trained by the time his well visit then I'm going to bring it up to his doctor. I do have to say that he is getting really good at going number 2 in the potty and rarely has accidents.
Myranda is getting a lot better with her school work. She just has to slow down and think about what she's doing sometimes. She (finally) likes to read. It took most of this year but she finally is onto chapter books! She has her down times emotionally. We are a little concerned and think it may be because she is too old to do a lot of things with her younger siblings and too young to do a lot of things with her older siblings...
Andrea is doing well. She competed with the school honor choir and they got 1st place in the Sandy Lake competition. She also had one of her art pieces featured in the Keller Art Show. She did very well with her TAKS (state standardized test) and got commended in Math! She is looking forward to going to camp with the church youth this year for the first time this summer :-)
Samara is doing good too. Her drama performances in school were awesome and she did well on her TAKS tests too. She got commended in Reading :-) She's looking forward to camp this summer as well but wasn't too thrilled to find out she will be bunking with Andrea lol. We are glad they will be together though because it's Andrea's first year... Also we just celebrated her 12th birthday... I can't believe she's almost a teenager! AAACCCKKK!!!! lol
That's about all... Hopefully I remember to update again soon!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)