Surrounded by Love

When we found out Teresa's soul was with Our Lord's, we knew it would only be a matter of time before my body began to release hers.

We did not know quite what to expect, but were told it would very similar to a heavy period due to the short gestational time; only 8 weeks.

However, we were to be given a gift.

We knew the process was beginning on Monday, the 15th, but on Tuesday morning my waters broke. Shortly thereafter I delivered Teresa in our home with my husband nearby.

We were given the gift to see and hold our baby.

So small, so precious. Thank You, Lord.

In this time afterwards, there is physical healing to undertake; there is much emotional and spiritual pain to offer to Him and pray for comfort.

But, we have been surrounded by love. Surrounded and lifted up by countless prayers, little acts of kindness, moments of generosity, kisses blown to heaven by Pearl for her baby sister, resting in the embrace of each other, and turning our hearts to His Most Sacred Heart.

Thank you for your prayers, they are so very much appreciated.

Ushered Home

Thank you for all your prayers regarding recent health concerns.

We found out today via ultrasound that our littlest one, Teresa Bernadette, has joined Our Lord in Heaven. While we never got to see her face, we rest assured that she is surrounded by His Glory.

I would just ask for continued prayers for our family during this time of grief. Thank you.

Health Status

Got called in by the Doctor today. Lab results came back not so good. I'm ok, but she wants things better. So advised to try a different medicine and we'll re-test in a few weeks.

Thank you for your prayers during this health concern!

Health Update

Will be on meds. for 2 weeks. Then labs re-drawn to see if they are working. If not, then take a different route.

Please pray that these meds. do indeed work! Thank you!

Off to a good start?

One of my favorite ways to start the week is by having a dentist appt.

NOT!

It doesn't matter that I have pretty good teeth: never had braces or cavities. I still get nervous going to the Dentist. They always give me a hard time about not flossing enough and critique the stains on my back teeth (sweet tea, folks. It's what happens being raised in the South).

Yuck. So I'm up early had a bowl of cereal now about to do my final brush before heading to the office.

I hope the rest of the week is filled with joyous events:)

We've been slimed

Maybe those "allergies/asthma" wasn't what we thought after all?

Maybe I went to the Dr. a day too early?

Because this morning when we all got up, my throat had the scratchies and my ears were all clogged. DH says he feels achy all over and started finding "things" when using his Neti pot. (He wanted to show me, but I passed)

Pearl is coughing phlegm and is sliming us with green goo.

We've all stayed home today and I'm pushing fluids, chicken noodle soup with garlic, Neti pot rinses, cough drops, lots of tissues, football (for all of us), musicals (for Pearl and I), playtime on the bed, nebulizer treatment for Pearl, and some spicy food for dinner to keep that slime moving out.

I do think Pearl will need to get allergy tested soon since both DH and I suffer from year-round allergies, but I'm glad it might not be what was originally thought.

A spur of the moment day

I was planning on a few other things today, but Pearl and I ended up at the Dr. due to coughing that was taking her breath away. The coughing started a few days ago, but definitely got worse last night.

Dr. doesn't hear any infection and suspects that DH and my allergies have been passed on to Pearl. She might have a touch of asthma (thanks DH), so we've got some treatment to help in the immediate and will need to get her allergy tested soon so we can stay ahead of her triggers.

She doesn't seem to mind the coughing too much except when it keeps her from sleeping. But when she can't catch her breath, my heart stops. Then she smiles and takes a sip of water. She's a tough cookie.

Colds...again.

Pearl has a phlegmy cough. That's it. She's acting totally fine, no fever, her happy self. Just a weird cough.

I am fighting a sinus infection. Yuck. Day 6 of amoxicilian. Don't think it's working enough.

Yesterday, DH started to mention that his head is hurting and feel stuffy.

So we're headed to the Dr. this morning to get assesed. I think we all need medicine to knock out this summer bug.

Re-Introducing Dairy

When Pearl was about 10 mos. she was eating solids such as fruits, veggies and chicken. We decided to let her try cheese and cheerios. She then developed eczema.

The Dr. prescribed a steroid cream and an oral steroid to keep her skin clear. I did not feel comfortable with her taking steroids everyday, so explored some other options. Many other moms whose children have eczema said that they found their conditions to be more manageable and even disappear when they eliminated certain foods from their diets. The two biggest culprits were wheat and dairy.

So Pearl has been wheat, dairy and egg free since 10 mos. (Eggs we found later) At her 18 mos. check-up the Dr. suggested we try and re-introduce dairy slowly by starting with yogurt, then cheese, and lastly milk.

The past two weeks she's had yogurt and no skin outbreaks. This week, we started cheese and so far so good. She really enjoys these foods too!

I think late next week we'll try some milk, but we're still staying away from wheat and eggs for awhile.

It's odd to me that it's not all gluten, since she does fine with oatmeal and barley.

I told DH that I was glad that she's doing well with dairy since it can be another source of protein for her because some days she doesn't like meat at all.

DH's response: "Yes! We can have real butter again!"

(We've only had margarine in the house:)

Supplementals

I'm entering into a new realm of vitamins and the help they can provide. For the past several years, I've recognized that despite eating healthy I still need supplemental support.

I'm currently exploring a few new options for vitamins, ones that target hormonal support in particular.

I'm slightly imbalanced (haha) with the hormones and have known that this as well as a few other issues lead to us having difficulty conceiving previously. We are praying for the gift of more children for our family, and I hope that by addressing the need for better supplements, that I can get my body back to where it needs to be. Because of the imbalance, I suffer from mood swings at certain times of the cycle. Unfortunately this can lead into borderline depression. I DON'T want to go there.

I came across a great resource, Fertility, Cycles and Nutrition by Marilyn Shannon.

Reading this book, both her previous work and this 4th edition, really assured me that I wasn't crazy (well...) and that the symptoms I experience can be addressed by proper nutritional care.

Our doctor is trained in the Creighton Method of Natural Family Planning and really understands our beliefs. He has provided great support in the past and I'm confident that he will continue to help guide us.

Thank you for your prayers.

A Few Quick Highlights

The fourth week of Advent brought some "fun" surprises:

1. I believed Pearl to be napping in her crib, but when I heard some odd sounds I went in to investigate...and found her sans pants, sans diaper, and covered in poo. She evidently thought that finger painting could be improved upon. DH took a picture, he was so amused, but I will not be posting it.

2. Pearl wanted to help wrap presents but slipped on some extra paper and fell into the brick fire place splitting her chin open. She didn't require stitches and pulled the Steri-Strips off that were supposed to last a week within 30 min. I believe she'll have a slight scar, but hopefully not.




3. Pearl opened her Christmas presents surrounded by kleenex this year because she has a cold. The slight fever, constantly runny nose, sneezing, generally clingy and fussy, kind of cold. Christmas Mass at Dawn was a little rough for us due to the tantrums she was throwing. After she bit me, I took her to the vestibule. However, she was super cute in her dress that I got FREE!



4. We discovered that Pearl and I eat our Asparagus the same way:)

Giving Up

caffeine that is.

The last few days, I have been feeling very jittery, lightheaded and unsettled after I finish my morning coffee. That in combination with a glass of sweet tea later in the day or a soda....yuck.

So yesterday, I decided I wasn't going to turn on the coffee maker. Had a cup of decaf tea instead. Yesterday was a little of a sluggish day and I felt exceedingly crabby, but I know that I'll feel better the day after tomorrow. Always takes three days for me to see a difference.

In the meantime, I hope that the crabby's leave our house. Everybody will appreciate that!

Attacked

As the title suggests, we were this past week.

Flu like symptoms hit DH; I was under an allergy bombardment, and we discovered that Pearl is allergic to cats.

Put the physical ailments with the spiritual warfare that was going on and it made for a pretty rough week.

There were some good spots, but they seemed few and far between with everything else.

Le sigh.

So now we're home and trying to heal. This week provides opportunity to gear up for more summertime visiting. As DH's mother and sister are both teachers, they are limited with their vacation time.

This weekend we will welcome both DH's parents and sister to celebrate Pearl's first birthday. Hurray!

Dining Out

An improptu dinner out with friends resulted in an upset tummy and all night fussiness for Pearl.

I thought teething was bad with her, but this was crazy. Didn't know what it was till this morning when she passed her dinner.

Undigested.

Yeah, I know that's too much, but I was in awe that our bodies could do that. Her body did not want that stuff and it moved it quickly on out. Afterwards she was pretty happy all day. Guess we won't be dining at that restaurant again.

A moment of frustration

We had a feverish babe last night as we think more teeth are on the way. Today she won't sleep a wink. No naps. Period. I'm getting to the point where I just don't understand this anymore. We have two good days and then four bad ones in a row. Everything I read about kids teething is that they have a day or two of roughness followed by the tooth popping through. Nowhere have I come across miserable teething woes that are months long.

Yes I'm worn out; yes I'm exhausted, and yes this is really frustrating.

But that's me. What is the hardest thing in all of this is not being able to soothe our child. I want to cry watching her cry. Yes I would like rest, but I can't rest till she sleeps peacefully. I can't stand to see her hurting and not being able to do anything about it. This is teething for crying out loud! Shouldn't we be able to soothe this away?

Splotchy

Pearl's beautiful baby skin has looking pretty rough this past week. It started with teething rash on her cheeks, but we awoke Tuesday morning to see a rash all over her back, neck and face.

To the doctor's we went. After the hour ride there, we waiting 50 minutes in the patient room, and then spent 8 minutes with the doctor.

Sigh.

He thinks she has eczema.

DH and I think otherwise. It looks to be hives of some sort. She's been exposed to cats, new detergent and new foods in the past week, so there are a few potential culprits.

She doesn't seem to be too bothered by the rash, but we're on a mission to figure out the case and eliminate the perpetrator.

On a completely unrelated note: I tried on a pair of my favorite pre-baby khaki's today. They totally fit! I hate buying new clothes....scratch that. I like getting new clothes, I hate spending money!! So this will definitely keep the green in my pocket.

Breaking out of this joint

Pearl has some very odd rash that started on her leg and now is on her face. So we're off to the Dr. today. Bleh.

More teething issues

Pearl has three more teeth about to pop through. It's been a rough week between that and her tummy. She has take iron drops for a bit as she was a low count at her last doctor's visit.

So naps are scarce, nights are long, and we're all a little sleep deprived.

Current Exercise Regimen

-lifting 20 lb. child innumerable times a day = tones biceps and core

-alternating hip holds with 20 lb. child while doing laundry, cooking, and other household tasks = works biceps, core, and back

-chasing after 20 lb. child who is a speed crawler and mischief maker = works quads, calves and core

-squatting to pull 20 lb. child out of aforementioned mischief numerous times a day = tones hamstrings, quads and calves

-doing sit-ups with 20 lb. child climbing up my chest = an immediate ab attack



My post-baby body is now officially back at my pre-pregnancy weight. Definitely not the same as before though. Things "shift" around.

Gotta say that this is my FAVORITE exercise program ever:)

OB

I have this morning off from work to attend our first OB appt. We have about a 45 minute drive to get down to the clinic, but it's worth it. I've mentioned our doctor before, but truly it is worth the drive to be with a pro-life doctor who adheres to Catholic Moral Ethics! He studied with Dr. Hilgers of the Pope Paul VI Institute, so we know he's been properly trained.

I've been meaning to post on some other items that have sparked my fancy, but with "Baby Brain" I'm forgetting things every two minutes:)

Hopefully, I'll have some time soon where I can sit down and really give myself to some posts.