I was going to write something witty today. I was going to try to make you laugh.
But that's all down the toilet.
I just received some sobering news about my dear friend, Kathy. She is in the ICU, on a ventilator, and has been unconscious for an indeterminate amount of time. She has been ill for the last three months, and there haven't been a lot of answers for her. Please pray with me that what is hidden in her body will come to light--that the doctors will discover what has been making her sick for the last three months. Pray that she will be healed. Pray that her husband, Scott, will be comforted and empowered during this time.
Thank you.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
What to say...
it's hard to think of things on Mondays. Even if we had a good weekend.
And we did.
But, I'm tired. It's Monday; did I mention it? I have a pile of things to do in my mind. I want to do the fun stuff first, but I feel like I have to do the unfun stuff instead. I wish I had a friend over who would chat to me while I did stuff. That would help distract.
I used to do Flylady.
I'm reading the Sidetracked Home Executives book (what Flylady is based on).
There are so many good ideas. But, I'm afraid that the problem lies within.
ME.
I am the problem. There! I said it! I make a lot of excuses for why my house is messy and dirty. I don't like to do housework, so more often than not, I don't do it. Seriously.
So, please turn over a new leaf with me today. Let's get our shoes on and put things back where they belong. Let's step away from the computer. Let's get moving.
Who's with me?
And we did.
But, I'm tired. It's Monday; did I mention it? I have a pile of things to do in my mind. I want to do the fun stuff first, but I feel like I have to do the unfun stuff instead. I wish I had a friend over who would chat to me while I did stuff. That would help distract.
I used to do Flylady.
I'm reading the Sidetracked Home Executives book (what Flylady is based on).
There are so many good ideas. But, I'm afraid that the problem lies within.
ME.
I am the problem. There! I said it! I make a lot of excuses for why my house is messy and dirty. I don't like to do housework, so more often than not, I don't do it. Seriously.
So, please turn over a new leaf with me today. Let's get our shoes on and put things back where they belong. Let's step away from the computer. Let's get moving.
Who's with me?
Friday, February 19, 2010
Reflux Revisited
I took my sweet Lucy in for a weight check.
2 ounces in one month. Gained. That's it.
I was told by a doctor friend that it should be somewhere between 5-8 oz a month following their first birthday.
She's 15 months now. She doesn't choose to walk on her own, she has to be coaxed. I don't think it is lack of ability as much as it is fear or timidity. :) She looks so nervous when you try to get her to walk. She needs a little confidence! She is picking up new words fairly quickly, and I suspect she will follow more in her sister's footsteps in her verbal skills.
Getting her to eat is a struggle. At first, she was eating alright but not drinking whole milk. So, then I decided to go for dumping the Carnation Instant Breakfast in her whole milk to enhance the flavor and provide some extra protein. That worked. She started drinking more milk, but she started eating less food. I've even caught her with spit-up on her shirt a few times. So, the idea that she may still be struggling with reflux has resurfaced.
She struggled immensely when she was 1-3 months. She refused to nurse a lot. She wasn't much of a spitter, but you could tell she was in pain. We assume she eventually got used to nursing with reflux because we didn't keep her on the Axid for too long. Then, we began to introduce food, and she was not interested. She was more interested in what was on my plate than baby food, so I finally gave up with the baby food. But I notice now, most of the fruits and veggies she was getting from her baby food were probably quite acidic.
We moved to table food, and she struggled for about a month getting the skills to chew and maneuver it in her mouth. She was doing alright. But, then I was worried about her not drinking much whole milk. She was still nursing 2-3 times a day, but still...
Cow's milk is acidic. It is not basic, contrary to popular belief. Both milk and chocolate can really irritate someone with acid reflux. And I was giving her that chocolate Carnation in hopes of getting her more of what she needs. But then she stopped wanting food. Vicious cycle!!!
So, my 15 month old weighs a whopping 17 lbs 14 oz. I have shed many tears over this, but I think I am on my way to a happy place. I'm not truly convinced she NEEDS the whole milk. She will eat yogurt and cheese (and I may sneak heavy cream into her oatmeal). We have her on Prevacid solutabs for a month. We're going to see if it makes a difference in her appetite. If it doesn't, then we may do some testing to rule out other issues. We want to be as conservative as we can without missing something important. We want to do everything we can to help her. I hope whatever happens, we find out that she's just herself.
But I still feel like I need to enhance what she will eat so she can get the maximum calories out of it.
I took Mckmama's advice. I went to Whole Foods and bought a few things to boost her food. I got some flax seed, some flax seed oil, some steel cut oats (twice the fiber of whole grain rolled oats!!! and an extra gram of protein!), and some more tahini to make hummus. For breakfast, I made the kids some oatmeal with the steel cut oats, a tablespoon of flax seed, and of course water. After it cooked, I added some cinnamon, a little brown sugar (didn't have honey), and some heavy cream to thicken it up!
She ate half of it. And she ate a whole container of Yo-baby whole milk yogurt.
This is huge. After her meal, I offered her a sippy cup with milk. She knocked it away.
She is still nursing 2-3 times a day. I feel really good about that.
She may refuse lunch, but for now, she ate her breakfast, and I couldn't be more pleased. We may discover that reflux isn't the issue. I hope that she's just small and finicky and ornery. Please pray for her--pray that she will begin to eat more and gain more. Regardless of growth charts, I know she isn't eating enough. I see what goes in her mouth and what ends up on the floor. Thank you for praying.
If you have a reflux story you want to share with me, I would love to hear it.
2 ounces in one month. Gained. That's it.
I was told by a doctor friend that it should be somewhere between 5-8 oz a month following their first birthday.
She's 15 months now. She doesn't choose to walk on her own, she has to be coaxed. I don't think it is lack of ability as much as it is fear or timidity. :) She looks so nervous when you try to get her to walk. She needs a little confidence! She is picking up new words fairly quickly, and I suspect she will follow more in her sister's footsteps in her verbal skills.
Getting her to eat is a struggle. At first, she was eating alright but not drinking whole milk. So, then I decided to go for dumping the Carnation Instant Breakfast in her whole milk to enhance the flavor and provide some extra protein. That worked. She started drinking more milk, but she started eating less food. I've even caught her with spit-up on her shirt a few times. So, the idea that she may still be struggling with reflux has resurfaced.
She struggled immensely when she was 1-3 months. She refused to nurse a lot. She wasn't much of a spitter, but you could tell she was in pain. We assume she eventually got used to nursing with reflux because we didn't keep her on the Axid for too long. Then, we began to introduce food, and she was not interested. She was more interested in what was on my plate than baby food, so I finally gave up with the baby food. But I notice now, most of the fruits and veggies she was getting from her baby food were probably quite acidic.
We moved to table food, and she struggled for about a month getting the skills to chew and maneuver it in her mouth. She was doing alright. But, then I was worried about her not drinking much whole milk. She was still nursing 2-3 times a day, but still...
Cow's milk is acidic. It is not basic, contrary to popular belief. Both milk and chocolate can really irritate someone with acid reflux. And I was giving her that chocolate Carnation in hopes of getting her more of what she needs. But then she stopped wanting food. Vicious cycle!!!
So, my 15 month old weighs a whopping 17 lbs 14 oz. I have shed many tears over this, but I think I am on my way to a happy place. I'm not truly convinced she NEEDS the whole milk. She will eat yogurt and cheese (and I may sneak heavy cream into her oatmeal). We have her on Prevacid solutabs for a month. We're going to see if it makes a difference in her appetite. If it doesn't, then we may do some testing to rule out other issues. We want to be as conservative as we can without missing something important. We want to do everything we can to help her. I hope whatever happens, we find out that she's just herself.
But I still feel like I need to enhance what she will eat so she can get the maximum calories out of it.
I took Mckmama's advice. I went to Whole Foods and bought a few things to boost her food. I got some flax seed, some flax seed oil, some steel cut oats (twice the fiber of whole grain rolled oats!!! and an extra gram of protein!), and some more tahini to make hummus. For breakfast, I made the kids some oatmeal with the steel cut oats, a tablespoon of flax seed, and of course water. After it cooked, I added some cinnamon, a little brown sugar (didn't have honey), and some heavy cream to thicken it up!
She ate half of it. And she ate a whole container of Yo-baby whole milk yogurt.
This is huge. After her meal, I offered her a sippy cup with milk. She knocked it away.
She is still nursing 2-3 times a day. I feel really good about that.
She may refuse lunch, but for now, she ate her breakfast, and I couldn't be more pleased. We may discover that reflux isn't the issue. I hope that she's just small and finicky and ornery. Please pray for her--pray that she will begin to eat more and gain more. Regardless of growth charts, I know she isn't eating enough. I see what goes in her mouth and what ends up on the floor. Thank you for praying.
If you have a reflux story you want to share with me, I would love to hear it.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
And the Winner Is...
Christy!!!
"Cooking and baking new foods!"--is how she likes to make her house a home.
Let me say a few things about Christy. I have known Christy since the first grade.
"Cooking and baking new foods!"--is how she likes to make her house a home.
Let me say a few things about Christy. I have known Christy since the first grade.
Here we are in the first grade--the two girls holding the sign in the middle.
Christy and I had not seen one another in YEARS, and then we reconnected in the blog world a couple of years ago. I am so glad to be in touch with her. She is a beautiful woman with a sincere heart of worship. I am thrilled to be able to call her friend even after all these years!
So, I know you're all wondering...what is she going to get?
Well, I am going to make her a PURSE!!!
It will be in this style--I've made a couple of these, and I LOVE them.
I will confer with her about fabric choices, and I will post the final pictures when I am done with it!!!
Thanks for playing!!!
So, I know you're all wondering...what is she going to get?
Well, I am going to make her a PURSE!!!
It will be in this style--I've made a couple of these, and I LOVE them.
I will confer with her about fabric choices, and I will post the final pictures when I am done with it!!!
Thanks for playing!!!
Monday, February 15, 2010
100th Post Giveaway!
Well, since this is my 100th post here on Blogger, would you like to join me in a giveaway?
The prize is a secret, but it will be handmade by Yours Truly.
Here's the deal:
Leave a comment telling me your favorite way to make your house a home--men, you are welcome to join in as well! I will draw a comment at random using the random number generator! Comments will close at 11:59pm Tuesday night (CST)--2/16/2010.
100 Posts of Geidlbots=Way too freaking awesome.
(comments via Facebook will not be included in the drawing, please comment via Blogger)
The prize is a secret, but it will be handmade by Yours Truly.
Here's the deal:
Leave a comment telling me your favorite way to make your house a home--men, you are welcome to join in as well! I will draw a comment at random using the random number generator! Comments will close at 11:59pm Tuesday night (CST)--2/16/2010.
100 Posts of Geidlbots=Way too freaking awesome.
(comments via Facebook will not be included in the drawing, please comment via Blogger)
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