Body for Life

Do you remember this book?

I bought it, I read it, I even followed it for quite a while.

And I bought the products.

This was about 9 - 10 years ago I think? and then I got pregnant and thought about putting those products in my body with a baby and decided it would wait.

So it has waited. And off and on I have been pregnant or nursing and still not wanting to put it into my body (most of the products had aspartame as well as too-hard-to-name ingredients). Through it all, I've had a box sitting in my pantry waiting to be used up. Because of course I paid good money and well...

The time came today. I dumped it all. And I almost cried when I saw how much I paid for this stuff. One was $39.99 on sale from $59.99

and one

was $99.99!!!!! It wasn't even opened!!!

All I have to say is WHAT WAS I THINKING? I spend how much?

Crazy! And all it really takes to take care of your body is to eat healthy foods - less (or better yet no) packaged foods, normal portion sizes (for me this means less than what I am currently eating) and regular exercise (again for me this means MORE).

Ahh the expensive lessons learned.

Hearing test passed

Mitchell passed his follow-up hearing test yesterday. I was a little worried (just a teeny bit really) after the concert last week too. The music was quite loud even though I took precautions. Thankfully all is fine. He slept right through it like a charm.

The woman asked me about the other kids and if they had passed their tests at the hospital. Shamefully I couldn't remember, although upon further thought I don't recall going to the hospital for follow-up other then when Marlee was starting speech. Hopefully this blog will help me remember or at least keep track of some of these details a little better. Not that interesting for anyone else though - sorry!

On a side note - The woman wasn't at all put out by me asking to take a photo and said that some moms have even asked to take the electrode covers home. I couldn't ask after that although I do have them from other things that the kids have gotten done! Since I'm moving into more digital scrapbooking I'm beginning to reconsider the amount of "stuff" I sometimes save. Drew should be proud.

We're Home!

Well we have made the transition from a family of 5 to 6 (except that Cierra isn't here right now) and we are so glad to be home! I have to say that it was so nice to look around at the living room Drew prepared that I shed a quick tear. Don't get me wrong - the hospital was fine but there is just something about home.

Drew transformed the living room into my own little haven for the next week or so. I am going to try to be good and not use the stairs very much for at least a week (although I will need to shower!). I guess just because I'm not stopping the daycare I want to reduce the stress on my body in other ways as much as possible - and I also think the bed might be more difficult to get out of then the couch. That and Marlee still joins us regularly in bed and I'm not sure how this will work with Mitchell. I also know that once I allow myself to start going up and down the stairs, it won't be long before I regularly want to use them. So Drew got the couch ready for me to sleep on, the pack and play with the diaper station all ready and he even brought down the tv from our bedroom. It's quite a sweet deal.

We were able to leave the hospital around 12:30 and made a pit stop at Taco Bell take-out for lunch (I'm sure that is comparable to the ducosate sodium I have to take LOL!). Drew got us settled and then he went back to work. The kids were so excited to see us home after school, it was really sweet. I think Marlee in particular found me being away a little hard. She was a little emotional at times but held her own well. Again though, just glad to be home. Grandpa John brought them home and stayed at the house until Drew got in - a little odd for me to be waited on but I could get used to having someone do the dishes, prepare the snacks, tidy up - you get the idea!

So this is the plan for the next couple of weeks - I have someone in every day to help with the older kids and to do the drop-offs and pick-ups for school. All in the hopes of taking it easy for a few days so that I am really ready to do the walking. It does allow me some time to rest and get back into things slowly. It is so nice to have such willing friends and family to help out.

Now if I could just get Drew to stop making me laugh!!!

Barefoot and pregnant and in the kitchen

Drew seemed to get a big kick out of this cliche moment... and doing the dishes none-the-less!

2 more weeks!!!

I had my last appointment with my Ob/Gyn today before DDay. He is gone next week on March Break. All in all everything has gone really well. I' was thinking today of how I had really wanted to use this blog as a way of recording my pregnancy and it's progression. So much for that. I find by the end of the day, I'm just pooched and this is really one of the last things on my mind. Oh don't get me wrong, during the day I think of all sorts of marvelous things to say - but they are out the window after 6pm. But enough of that.

My doctor was impressed with my weight gain (25lbs in total) and that it has been stabilized over the time period he has seen me. My only complaints right now are numbness in my hands when I eat or write (carpal tunnel syndrome which should disappear after birth), general fatigue and numbness in my upper chest. He attributed that to the fact that the skin by your belly button is the thinnest in the body and as it gets stretched out over the belly, the pressure causes more numbness there as well. There IS a lot of pressure. The vericose veins and associated itching are a lot less then they were a few months ago. Now it's just lower body pressure. I really need to sit down and do a comparison of all three pregancies. I have such poor recall it would be geat to see it in front of me. Do I see a scrapbook page coming on?

A lot of people are just beginning to notice that I am pregnant at all. It has been such a warm week that I've worn a vest outside and well, you can't hide it anymore. Daily, I am having someone ask if I am indeed pregnant and are shocked that I only have 2 weeks to go. I'm shocked too.

As for the actual DDAy - our doctor is actually on call so we are to go to the hospital for 8am and wait until we are called in. Matt and Cierra will still go to school and Marlee will stay home with YaYa and the other kids normally here on Thursdays. From there we will see. Still no idea on the gender and still not conclusive on the names. But time is ticking!

Health update

The kids and Drew all got their H1N1 flu shot vaccine today but I'm still waiting...

The office had some vaccine leftover from their clinic and if it is not used up within 24 hours they would have to throw it out. After the scare with a church friend (who ended up having strep throat), Drew didn't want to take any chances. We've upped our hand washing, our vitamins, our sleep time, keeping up with our outdoor time and have added saline nose swipes and gargling. And for me, I'm still praying and waiting.

While I'm Waiting

The news and email have been full of information and opinions about the H1N1 and the vaccine. I am totally up in arms about it - so much so that I've sort of worked myself into a bit of a tither. I've never gotten a flu shot (at least not for several years) and we really try to go as natural as possible around here. I rarely take medication and thankfully am rarely sick with more then a runny nose and maybe a sore throat once a year. We try to let the kids' illnesses run their course and keep the antibiotics until absolutely necessary. I guess I tend to be of the mindset that we need to let our bodies build up natural immunities and fight what we can.

I am also not sure that a lot of this isn't hype and hysteria. We regularly get emails telling us natural course of action to take and why the flu shot isn't necessary. Yes we need to question the sources and we need to really weigh the information. There again lies some difficulty with family being in the medical business although the plus side is we are able to get things checked out very quickly and conveniently. Tough sometimes though. Especially when it comes to serious issues like this.


So anyway, I've really been struggling with this especially given that I am now in the "vulnerable" group. Which gives me even more questions.

So I've been praying. A lot. About discernment. And why can't I just be told blatantly with a big billboard - "Alison - do this"! I know it doesn't work this way. I also have a tendency to over read overwork over think things. Like the following:

Today I was reading an email about the flu and the vaccine and again, just really pondering what I should be doing - for me and for the kids. As I got to the section on pregnancy, my heart started beating faster and I was just like "Ahhh - I'm so confused - what do I do?" Then I caught the words of the song on the radio. Read the lyrics:

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently,

I will wait
I will move ahead, bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience
While I'm waiting
I will serve You
While I'm waiting
I will worship
While I'm waiting
I will not faint
I'll be running the race
Even while I wait I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it's not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait I
will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve you while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting on You, Lord

And while I listened to the song, it brought tears to my eyes and get this - I actually felt the baby move for the first time. So, more tears.

So at this point I am waiting. For what? Til the 20 week point? To get more opinions? I don't know. That's my over analyzing part. So I'm trying to be patient, to be trusting, to follow good health practices and just wait.

By the way, I recognized the song but not who it was by. I actually emailed the radio station who relayed that it was "While I'm Waiting" by John Waller from the movie Fireproof (watch the song video).