Well today I saw a local nutritionist and I am hopeful that my life will be changed for the good. I not only have a desire to be fit, but to raise a fit family as well. I believe in God and know that he has lead me to great things. My first reason for this appointment was to help Ava with her health struggles. I want to give her a life without doctors and medicine...maybe wishful thinking, not sure? After all the doctors and poking she has had to deal with I want more for her. Ed has fully supported this because of his love for our children and seeing all that Ava has endured in the last 6 months. I want to publicly thank Ed for giving me his support in this, it means the world to me to have his love. He has had a hunch for a long time that Ava's problems stem from her digestive system...God at work leading us to this appointment. As it turns out he is probably hitting the nail on the head.
I have chosen to blog about my story because today is the day it starts and I want to be someone to encourage others and spread the news of how food works. I spent over two hours this morning with Cathy and she is a blessing in my life. Although I may struggle to keep within her guidelines:)
This is the list of things I am to do starting today:
1. NO sweet drinks at all!!! I have to drink Almond Milk (unsweetened) and if dying add Stevia.
2. Four times a week run on treadmill for 15 minutes (something I try to do anyway). She made a point to say we eat more than once a day we need to move more than once a day:)
3. Massage or rub legs and arms and trouble area...mine is stomach, hips, thighs, butt (midsection). This is for circulation and to break down fat storage. My fat stores in the mid-section. She advised to rub 4 times a day...I wrote down 6-7 times thinking I can really use the break down to take affect like...yesterday!
4. Drink 90 oz. of water a day. She wants me to get annoyed at how often I pee. I am dehydrated!!! Therefore my body holds onto water for dear life and I have a large amount of water gain or feeling bloated.
5. Before I grab a cup of coffee in the morning I am to drink 8-12 oz of water.
6. For 15 days take a supplement called "Tiao He Cleanse" ($40) only to do 2 times a year 3 at most and only if going through an extremely stressful situation. Now this is a Chinese supplement, 6 pills, that I take two times a day. The directions state to drink with 8oz. water then once taken drink another glass of water. Basically I will have 2-3 bowel movements a day ( and I am generally very regular), but she feels I have about 14lbs of fecal matter to loose! If you are constipated can you imagine how much you have inside!! LOL The directions also state to eat fresh fruits, vegetables (especially green leafy ones) and whole grains. Avoid eating red meat, coffee, alcohol, and sugary or fried foods. Drink plenty of water...90oz is plenty.
7. I had Ed take pictures of me from front, side and back. No I am not posting those beauties yet! In 5 mths I want to post those along with 3 more updated pictures. In 5 months it will be Christmas Eve...God at works again. Funny guy, huh?
Can you imagine...my whole family is about to live with me for a week on vacation where I will be drinking enough water to fill the ocean then pooping 14lbs...sounds enjoyable, huh?
A few other notes on me is that I take in too much salty foods and sugary foods and I eat too much meat. I am to wake up my bitter and sour palette with green apples. I should use Feta Cheese as my go to cheese.
Ava is to take a supplement called Raw Probiotics by Garden of Life, to support her digestive and immune health. Cathy feels Ava has a weakened immune system and we will see great improvements once it is running to full potential. She will take 1/4 tsp in her milk or water or juice. It can even be put on apple or yogurt. Then gradually work up to 3/4 tsp. Cathy did give high praise to the company "Garden of Life" she doesn't get anything for advertising just loves their products and christian beliefs/background.
Here is a list of videos to watch online: (This is part of my homework too)
* http://www.wholeapproach.com/ is a 10 minute questionnaire that she will gain information from to see how deep my problem is. My answers should stem from my late 20's to early 30's.
* Marketing Madness (u-tube)
* Killer at Large
* Bad Seed
* Food Inc.
* Food Matters
* Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead
* Tapped
My next appointment is Friday, August 30th. She is one busy lady with lots of appointments. Thanks to Jill for telling me about this place and encouraging to reach out to her and get help for Ava other than another medical doctors. So many things have "fallen" into place for my family and I have God to thank for all these blessings even the ones that are in disguise as something terrible.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Happy Birthday 39th Brad!
Oh, Brad your last year to be in your thirties...enjoy this decade big bother brother:)
We celebrated Brad's birthday rather late because of Ava's party, Super Bowl and his work schedule, but we finally had a Sunday available over the weekend to have a party.
Brad is my only brother, my only sibling, and he is MUCH older than I, but some how we can still connect! He has four beautiful/handsome children and a loving wife (what she doesn't have to put up with!). Any way on a serious note, Brad is great husband, father, son, and brother. I know that no matter what I face I can always turn to him and he will not judge or criticize, but open his heart for love and advice. He is a great man and I love him.
On a funny note, Mom had a delicious ice cream cake made for Brad's birthday. I am certain, absolutely positive that she took in a picture of Brad (hunting photo) and said could you replicate this photo on cake for me. Well here it is: Brad (the day of party) and his cake! Can you see the resemblance? Well, I laughed so hard that I had tears streaming down my face. Ed told me that he was downstairs with kids and heard me laughing so hard that he had to come up and see what was going on. Ed's comment was the hunter's (Brad's) beak was larger than the gun.
I know you are wondering two things 1. Why are you posting this now...so far after b-day and party? 2. Where is the photo?
Well, I did not have my camera so I relied on my niece to take the picture and send to me on my phone...Lauren, where is it???? Haha! This is also the reason the post is so late...Lauren! Haha :)
We celebrated Brad's birthday rather late because of Ava's party, Super Bowl and his work schedule, but we finally had a Sunday available over the weekend to have a party.
Brad is my only brother, my only sibling, and he is MUCH older than I, but some how we can still connect! He has four beautiful/handsome children and a loving wife (what she doesn't have to put up with!). Any way on a serious note, Brad is great husband, father, son, and brother. I know that no matter what I face I can always turn to him and he will not judge or criticize, but open his heart for love and advice. He is a great man and I love him.
On a funny note, Mom had a delicious ice cream cake made for Brad's birthday. I am certain, absolutely positive that she took in a picture of Brad (hunting photo) and said could you replicate this photo on cake for me. Well here it is: Brad (the day of party) and his cake! Can you see the resemblance? Well, I laughed so hard that I had tears streaming down my face. Ed told me that he was downstairs with kids and heard me laughing so hard that he had to come up and see what was going on. Ed's comment was the hunter's (Brad's) beak was larger than the gun.
I know you are wondering two things 1. Why are you posting this now...so far after b-day and party? 2. Where is the photo?
Well, I did not have my camera so I relied on my niece to take the picture and send to me on my phone...Lauren, where is it???? Haha! This is also the reason the post is so late...Lauren! Haha :)
Back in the ER
Last weekend my entire had the flu! Blake started on Saturday and by Monday we all had it. As mom I was the last to be hit with the sickness and we thought everyone else seemed to be on the mend. Ed took the kids outside to play on Monday evening while I rested on the couch. It was chilly so instead of being outside he backed out the Jeep from the garage and let them play. Ava and Blake played hard, kicking the ball and running all around. We honestly felt the kids were doing better.
Tuesday morning Ava got up around 5:30am and I told her it was still night time and she needed more rest...really mommy needed more rest. At 7am Blake woke up and I finally dragged myself downstairs with him. I waited to hear Ava, figuring she would hear us and want to join the action. Instead I found myself checking on her because she NEVER sleeps in. A little before 9am Ed got up and had a cup of coffee when he thought he heard her footsteps. He went to the stairs and saw her so went up to give her a ride down. When he brought her down he said that she felt shaky. I immediately thought she was hungry because no one had had much to eat lately. I sprang to make toast and get her some juice, but before I started I looked over to see her seizing. I certainly started to panic and didn't know what to do. After 1 minute or 1 1/2 minutes she stopped seizing and I called the doctor. She told me to "calm down and take her to the ER". I quickly called Ed's parents and they once again flew up to our house to stay with Blake. What I did notice was how Blake was obviously upset and his way to deal with this trauma was to go into his "own world of play and imagination". I made sure I kissed him and told him I loved him and everything would be okay, but we needed Ava to be checked by the doctor. He didn't give much of a reaction, but this is typically of him and maybe part of his defense to avoid feeling upset. One thing Ed and I knew going to the hospital was that she needed a through check up and we had to see a specialist concerning Ava's condition when she gets sick. After telling the story of Ava and speaking with the doctor on call Dr. E the nurses proceeded to start an IV line and draw blood. One thing I wish the nurses were better about finding a vein and getting the job done. Now I know Ava is little therefore so are her veins and with her being dehydrated this only makes it worse, but it should not take 15 minutes of her parents having to hold her down to get this accomplished. It is a shame to put a baby through that trauma. After this was done and they gave her nausea medicine to prevent her from throwing up she was in my arms and started to seize. I knew it was coming and told the nurse just before the facial twitching began. She gets a far off stare in her eyes and for lack of better words, "just isn't my little girl". I noticed her body seemed rigid during this seizure, but again had a lot of facial movement. They immediately gave her seizure medicine and then she went into a deep sleep. Ed and I both feel she probably had a seizure in the morning without us seeing it and that is why she slept in so long. At this point we were admitted to the ICU for the night. I dreaded this stay after the last time being such a hard night and now we were all running on low due to being sick. But the good Lord looks out for us if we believe in him and somehow he gave me the strengh and courage to make through the night. I sang "God is so Good" a lot that night. The next day she woke up to get her blood drawn and let's just say that was "unpleasant" for me let alone a 25 month old girl who needed the rest. After that the drama started of getting an EEG. When we were in the ER the day before our Doctor was going to have an MRI done, but the hospital said they could not have her hooked up to machines for it. Luckily the neurologist said instead let's have an EEG done instead. So on Wednesday our nurse said that we would have the EEG at 9:30am, which was great since really I just wanted to take my baby home. Then I was told no the EEG would be at 12:30pm. Next I was told she could get one done at this hospital and would have to go to another local hospital by ambulance. The reason was because this hospital doesn't "like" to do EEG's on baby's because it takes too long and they don't cooperate! Now if we could do that with our jobs wouldn't that just be dandy. We would also have to pay out of pocket for the ambulance because our insurance wouldn't cover it. This is about when I flipped my Mommy hat on and demanded to speak to my daughters doctor. I told her that I appreciate all that she has done for us and I knew she was doing all she could do to make this EEG happen, but if it wasn't done that day by 12 noon I was walking out of that hospital with my daughter. I told her that the expectations for a 25 month old were impossible and I needed to look out for her well being. She assured me that she had been on the phone all morning and had everything in place could I hold out til 12noon. I reluctantly said yes, but 12 was my cut off time. I also found out that EEG needed to be done while she was sleeping and not given sedatives. I could have cried. What were they thinking a 2 year old would just roll over and sleep on command! Ava's doctor came over said feed her anything she wants walk her around the halls and let her run in the room to get tired. We did just that but something else happened during this time too. Our loving Pastor David showed up and lead us in prayer just before the start of the EEG. I saw a miracle happen in front of my eyes. Ava allowed all 30 probes to be placed on her head and only pulled off two. The tech had all but 2 probes in the correct spot and after all was in place Ava turned over in my lap and fell into a deep sleep for the 30 minutes that the test required! Praise God! They got a great and accurate tracing and now we are waiting for results.
Since our time in the hospital last week we have had some hard times. Ava has had meltdowns that are far beyond a tantrum and she has had a hard time sleeping at night. On average she is up 3-4 times a night! We are trying to be extra patient because of the trauma she went through she just needs reassured that we are here for her. This has also made us look deep into our parenting skills and really want to teach our children how to deal with their feelings in a positive way which of course starts through our example. We are trying not to react but step back and handle the situation the way we want them to do. Boy this is a hard task but our way of thinking is the benefit will be for now and in the future.
Tuesday morning Ava got up around 5:30am and I told her it was still night time and she needed more rest...really mommy needed more rest. At 7am Blake woke up and I finally dragged myself downstairs with him. I waited to hear Ava, figuring she would hear us and want to join the action. Instead I found myself checking on her because she NEVER sleeps in. A little before 9am Ed got up and had a cup of coffee when he thought he heard her footsteps. He went to the stairs and saw her so went up to give her a ride down. When he brought her down he said that she felt shaky. I immediately thought she was hungry because no one had had much to eat lately. I sprang to make toast and get her some juice, but before I started I looked over to see her seizing. I certainly started to panic and didn't know what to do. After 1 minute or 1 1/2 minutes she stopped seizing and I called the doctor. She told me to "calm down and take her to the ER". I quickly called Ed's parents and they once again flew up to our house to stay with Blake. What I did notice was how Blake was obviously upset and his way to deal with this trauma was to go into his "own world of play and imagination". I made sure I kissed him and told him I loved him and everything would be okay, but we needed Ava to be checked by the doctor. He didn't give much of a reaction, but this is typically of him and maybe part of his defense to avoid feeling upset. One thing Ed and I knew going to the hospital was that she needed a through check up and we had to see a specialist concerning Ava's condition when she gets sick. After telling the story of Ava and speaking with the doctor on call Dr. E the nurses proceeded to start an IV line and draw blood. One thing I wish the nurses were better about finding a vein and getting the job done. Now I know Ava is little therefore so are her veins and with her being dehydrated this only makes it worse, but it should not take 15 minutes of her parents having to hold her down to get this accomplished. It is a shame to put a baby through that trauma. After this was done and they gave her nausea medicine to prevent her from throwing up she was in my arms and started to seize. I knew it was coming and told the nurse just before the facial twitching began. She gets a far off stare in her eyes and for lack of better words, "just isn't my little girl". I noticed her body seemed rigid during this seizure, but again had a lot of facial movement. They immediately gave her seizure medicine and then she went into a deep sleep. Ed and I both feel she probably had a seizure in the morning without us seeing it and that is why she slept in so long. At this point we were admitted to the ICU for the night. I dreaded this stay after the last time being such a hard night and now we were all running on low due to being sick. But the good Lord looks out for us if we believe in him and somehow he gave me the strengh and courage to make through the night. I sang "God is so Good" a lot that night. The next day she woke up to get her blood drawn and let's just say that was "unpleasant" for me let alone a 25 month old girl who needed the rest. After that the drama started of getting an EEG. When we were in the ER the day before our Doctor was going to have an MRI done, but the hospital said they could not have her hooked up to machines for it. Luckily the neurologist said instead let's have an EEG done instead. So on Wednesday our nurse said that we would have the EEG at 9:30am, which was great since really I just wanted to take my baby home. Then I was told no the EEG would be at 12:30pm. Next I was told she could get one done at this hospital and would have to go to another local hospital by ambulance. The reason was because this hospital doesn't "like" to do EEG's on baby's because it takes too long and they don't cooperate! Now if we could do that with our jobs wouldn't that just be dandy. We would also have to pay out of pocket for the ambulance because our insurance wouldn't cover it. This is about when I flipped my Mommy hat on and demanded to speak to my daughters doctor. I told her that I appreciate all that she has done for us and I knew she was doing all she could do to make this EEG happen, but if it wasn't done that day by 12 noon I was walking out of that hospital with my daughter. I told her that the expectations for a 25 month old were impossible and I needed to look out for her well being. She assured me that she had been on the phone all morning and had everything in place could I hold out til 12noon. I reluctantly said yes, but 12 was my cut off time. I also found out that EEG needed to be done while she was sleeping and not given sedatives. I could have cried. What were they thinking a 2 year old would just roll over and sleep on command! Ava's doctor came over said feed her anything she wants walk her around the halls and let her run in the room to get tired. We did just that but something else happened during this time too. Our loving Pastor David showed up and lead us in prayer just before the start of the EEG. I saw a miracle happen in front of my eyes. Ava allowed all 30 probes to be placed on her head and only pulled off two. The tech had all but 2 probes in the correct spot and after all was in place Ava turned over in my lap and fell into a deep sleep for the 30 minutes that the test required! Praise God! They got a great and accurate tracing and now we are waiting for results.
Since our time in the hospital last week we have had some hard times. Ava has had meltdowns that are far beyond a tantrum and she has had a hard time sleeping at night. On average she is up 3-4 times a night! We are trying to be extra patient because of the trauma she went through she just needs reassured that we are here for her. This has also made us look deep into our parenting skills and really want to teach our children how to deal with their feelings in a positive way which of course starts through our example. We are trying not to react but step back and handle the situation the way we want them to do. Boy this is a hard task but our way of thinking is the benefit will be for now and in the future.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
A Mommy Milestone!
Okay, some of you viewing this may think this milestone is well overdue, but I am proud that I have completed it without any hiccups.
Last night I went to a Mary Kay meeting (I'm a consultant, if anyone has skin and needs me I am available). It started at 7pm and if you know my schedule we do baths at 6:30pm and have the kids in bed at 7:30 or 8pm. This did not allow me to do my routine. I had to give up the evening to my husband and hope he soared with success. Not that I doubt my husband, but keep in mind that Ava has never had anyone but me put her to bed. Blake has had a few days with someone else putting him to bed so I knew he would be okay for Daddy. I had reservations about going away, but if I was going to do this I needed Ed to be the one at home.
In the end everyone survived and nothing major happened, which gave me great peace of mind. It was a positive thing for all of us.
Last night I went to a Mary Kay meeting (I'm a consultant, if anyone has skin and needs me I am available). It started at 7pm and if you know my schedule we do baths at 6:30pm and have the kids in bed at 7:30 or 8pm. This did not allow me to do my routine. I had to give up the evening to my husband and hope he soared with success. Not that I doubt my husband, but keep in mind that Ava has never had anyone but me put her to bed. Blake has had a few days with someone else putting him to bed so I knew he would be okay for Daddy. I had reservations about going away, but if I was going to do this I needed Ed to be the one at home.
In the end everyone survived and nothing major happened, which gave me great peace of mind. It was a positive thing for all of us.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Happy Valentine's Day!
Our Valentine's Day was pretty simple this year. This is for two reasons 1. The kids don't really understand the day or why they are getting something special and 2. We have all been battling colds and just not up to par these days. But it is a special day to show your loved ones that you really love them so the kids opened cards from their Great Grandparents and Grandparents this morning. Mommy and Daddy had a little bag of goodies for each of them too. Their goody bags had a Valentine Day book for each, heart ring pops (Ava's favorite), kisses & hugs, and candy hearts. It's funny because Blake has noticed that the hearts have words on them and asks me what they say. For lunch Mommy made heart shaped grilled cheese sandwiches and heart shaped brownies...okay we have had enough sugar to last a lifetime!!!!! We did go outside this morning in the soft, gooey ground, just to get fresh air. Plus Daddy gave the kids a thrilling ride on the four wheeler. Dinner will consist of heart shaped pancakes:) Let's just say after today my kids should know their heart shape! What a learning tool.
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY FROM ALL OF US. WE LOVE YOU!
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY FROM ALL OF US. WE LOVE YOU!
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Just the four of us on Feb. 1st
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| She is just like her Daddy, a messy eater:) |
Today Mommy, Daddy and Blake celebrated Ava. This is her birthday and we started the morning with song and breakfast. Grandmother and Pappy Dukehart called and sang too. We then opened presents and played with the gifts. Play doh cake maker, Snap n Style dog and doll is what Ava got from us. We then traveled outside because it is about 65 degrees! Daddy gave the birthday girl (and her brother) a tractor ride and four wheeler ride. Then we had pizza, cake and ice cream! It was a great morning to celebrate Ava.
Party Time
Sunday, January 29th we celebrated Ava's birthday with the family. She had a Hello Kitty themed party. Happy Pappy, Grand Mary, Pap D., Grandmother, Pappy W., Grandma, Uncle Brad, Aunt Suz, Lauren, Breanna, Ashley, Brady, Aunt Sheila, Uncle Rodney, Shaun, Aunt Holly, Uncle Steve, Kate and Ellie all attended our party. We had a dinner, cake, ice cream and presents. Ava was so excited when Grandmother brought in the birthday balloons and continued to be excited when we had cake and then presents. When we sang to her she blew the candle out before the end of the song and she was soooo proud of herself. She seem to be saying, "Look mom, I knew what to do...blow out the candle". She received so many nice gifts that we are having a blast playing with. Thanks to everyone for helping us celebrate this sweet and precious baby girl of ours.
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| Ava wanted to sit with "big girls" at the table and not in her highchair! |
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| Kate and Ava at cake time. |
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| She is so proud of herself! |
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| Cute outfit! |
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| She loves her tiny babies. |
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| Minnie Mouse trike from Pappy and Grandmother! Can you see Blake thinks this is cool too? |
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| Wow! |
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| We thought this was adorable, Blake giving Ava a ride in the back!!! |
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