Weight Watchers...Weeks...um...a lot of them up until now. :)

I've been slacking in my posting, sorry.  Things really are VERY busy and when I DO have the time to blog I'm just not in the mood at all.  Mostly I'm in the mood to curl into a ball, watch a movie, and fall asleep, pretending the rest of the world doesn't exist.  But we just finished a day of delicious thunderstorms and that always has me in the mood to write.  And since I'm probably not going to get to housework much this week (it's been a stressful, eventful 3 days as it is), and I have no motivation to go write a novel at the moment, blogging is happening.

Get excited. 

:)

Anywho, I was bad for much of March, and I've been revisiting recipes or eating more basic, non-recipe type foods lately, so I don't have many recipes to share.  But I'll share a few that I DO have and hope you enjoy them.  I AM still losing weight--as of Friday I have lost 17 pounds!--but I still have very far to go until I reach my goals, no REAL motivation to stop eating any chocolate I can get my hands on, and until the weather cooperates I am not moving as much as I really ought to.  So hopefully this summer will be even better!  But let's focus on the positive.  GOOD FOOD!

Mango Chicken Spinach Salad--with homemade Mango-Curry Vinaigrette!

My own chicken noodle soup--nothing fancy but soups seem to fill me up for less points with all that water and veggies!

Ham and Beans (GREAT with cornbread!)

Amazing grilled salmon with avocado-lime dressing and fried plantains!

I mostly have perfected the method of broiling fish to the right consistency...

 

...and boiling/dying eggs...

 

...and smothering grilled meats with chimichurri sauce!

Recipes and other tips to come!

I laughed at myself today a little.  It was the first day I actually could tell I'd lost any weight at all.  I haven't gone down a pants or bra size and really I felt the same as always (just hungrier a little sometimes, especially when I'm stressed), so even though I know my scale isn't lying to spare my feelings it's been a little confusing and frustrating sometimes feeling like things aren't REALLY changing.  Well, today I wore my "fat pants," the ones I bought just a *little* too big already because there are days when bloating or self-image issues take over and I need a pair of professional pants that fit loosely and still look good.  And they were sliding down all over the place!  So funny and rewarding to have to keep hiking them up all day long.  Guess I'll either have to go to GoodWill again soon or invest in some tailoring!

Also, I have discovered another unexpected tidbit about myself through this Weight Watchers experience: I am a SHOE PERSON!  I had no idea.  I have always had about four pairs of shoes--one tennis shoe, one slightly more professional but still comfy shoe, one dressy shoe, and a pair of flip flops.   I don't accessorize and I don't invest in anything beyond the cheapest, blandest pair ('cause it has to go with EVERYTHING).  Well, ALL my shoes wound up getting holes or broken soles within two weeks of each other (darn you, WalMart!) and I decided to go to a real store and buy real, grown-up, not-on-a-$15-budget shoes.  And it has been magical.  I had no idea that a pair of red flats, a golden buckle, or a light pink studded wonder could make me feel so different.  I like it.  A lot. So now it's a motivator for me.  I get a new pair of shoes ($50 or less) for every 10 pounds I lose.  Which means I have three more pounds to go 'til I get to go shopping again!  And I still will have 50 more pounds to lose before I reach my goal so that's 5 more fancy pairs of shoes comin' my way in the next year or so (I hope!).

Do whatever it takes, right?  :)

Weight Watchers, week 2

Just had my second weigh-in.  I've lost 9 pounds in the last 2 weeks!  I don't really feel it or notice a difference yet, and I know it'll plateau soon, but I'm pretty stoked nonetheless.  Still adjusting to not eating ALL THE TIME, but at least I'm not starving!  With yummy dinners like:



The Chicken Satay from Last Week (8 WW Points)

BLT Salad (6 points)

BBQ Chicken & Black Bean Pizza (10 points)

Boyack De-LIGHT (3 points/bar...my dessert all week!!!)

Breakfast fruit pizzas with nutella (8 points)

 

Hot Dog Dogs (7 points)

We also had Papa Murphy's Hawaiian pizza (a mere 7 points per slice!), and Applebee's, which has a great Weight Watcher's menu (I got a roasted garlic sirloin for 13 points).

Recipes are linked in each caption!  :)

One thing I'm grateful for is that paying for Weight Watchers gives me an excuse to spend a little more money on things like fruits and veggies, Fiber One brownies, rice cakes, and ingredients for these awesome recipes I am trying.  It also FORCES me to cook more, which is important even though I don't particularly love it and I don't always feel like spending the time on it.  When I look at the restaurant app and see how many "points" I was consuming before on a weekly basis, it's not much of a surprise that I've been gaining weight like crazy this year.  It's sad that I need a reason to take care of ourselves and cook/eat well, but I do.  And this is it for me.  I can't wait to see what the next 3 months bring me, and hopefully it'll help me to develop better eating habits that I can enjoy for a lifetime.  If things continue as they have been going, I will definitely be continuing in WW, too.  :)

Weight Watchers, week 1

Apparently I'm in a blogging mood today.  :)

So, I've officially gone through 7 days of Weight Watchers.  Not gonna lie, it's been hard.  I didn't realize how much I ate before--especially JUNK.  It didn't seem like much until I couldn't do it anymore.  Tracking my every bite has been a wonderful challenge, and it has kept me accountable to myself more.  I've already started to enjoy smaller portions and not feeling full all the time, which is the beginning of a paradigm shift for sure!  And I love the apps that aid you--another post on that to come!

Anyway, I'm not starving.  Here are some of the yummy things I've enjoyed this week:

Tuna salad in cucumber cups (6 Points)

LOADS of fresh fruit salads--0 points, quick and easy side to any meal!

Not pictured, but worth mentioning: Eating out, SMART, at O'Charley's and Papa Murphy's for Valentine's.  Southwestern Salad.  Beef Ginger Stir Fry.  Apple Thyme Chicken.  Homemade Veggie Soup (DELISH).  Marie Calendar casseroles for the nights that are just too busy to cook.  And discovering Fiber One 90 Calorie Brownies and Special K Chocolatey Delight.  :)  Popcorn, chocolate milk, lots of fresh fruits and veggies and almonds "fill in" any extra points I have each day. I still snuck in a whole box of chocolates, and I lost 4 pounds, give or take 2.  So I'd say week 1 was a success!  Here's hoping Week 2 is even better!  I'll post some recipes and the like soon and link it all up, as well as give out any tips or tricks I find that help make my weight loss goals easier.  :)  It's not gonna be a regular segment or anything, but I'm always looking out for healthier recipes and, as you know by now, I like to share.  :)

Sunday Thoughts: Weaknesses

All through sacrament meeting today I couldn't stop the scripture from repeating over and over again in my mind about how if we come to the Lord, He will show unto us our weaknesses so that we can become humble (Ether 12:27).  That's a hard truth, especially because when we truly feel the weight of our weaknesses, we don't feel close to the Lord at all.  I'm a fairly self-aware person, and I am especially acutely aware of many of my frailties and sins.  I'm a perfectionist in the worst way--to the point that I internally beat myself up over any weakness so much that I often can't move beyond that, to the doing and the becoming and the real humility (which is the point).  I struggle with humility.  Self-deprecation is not humility.  True humility is more about realizing how reliant we are on the Savior and our Heavenly Father to be everything that we are and to become everything we want to be, which actually leads to confidence.  I work hard every day on improving myself, but I often rely on my own strengths and persistence and teachableness alone to push my way through, instead of letting the Lord carry me.  And I take all the credit if it works out well, which just feels lonely.  And it just leads me to feel worse about myself when I know I'm not measuring up.  How much better off would we be if we let Him give us His enabling power, grace, to truly transform our weaknesses into our strengths instead of just using our own abilities to struggle through them?  It's the difference between enduring to the end and enduring it well.

I have been particularly concerned lately with the weakness that is my body.  Doctrinally I understand that our bodies are a gift and an eternal part of our immortal nature, and that as such we must take care of them in specific ways so that they can be proper temples for our spirits to dwell in.  I also am extremely grateful that, relative to many people in this world, I have a healthy body.  I can breathe without much trouble, walk with both legs, see clearly with glasses, hear just fine, eat solid foods with strong teeth, and none of the rampant diseases of the world are tearing away at my immune system or making my bones brittle or my skin fall off, etc.  I am a fairly healthy person, even with my fairly sedentary lifestyle.  But I would love to get to the point where I love my body and feel like it's a gift instead of an adversary I do battle with every day.  Between weight problems, major joint/nerve pain/damage, infertility issues, and (the source of much of it) a thyroid wreaking havoc on my body--not to mention the pressures of society that you can't help but feel to look a certain way, every inch of you--I feel like waving my little white flag at the end of the day in surrender to the BEAST of a body I have been "blessed" with.  I've been thinking about this weakness--the parts that I cannot control, and even more the parts I can but am choosing foolishly not to--and what effect it has had on my life.  And while the progress of that battle won't be as easy to define (or account for) as it may be for others, it's a battle that is my own to fight, and fight it I must.  But instead of trying to do it on my own, this time I want to bring the Lord into it in a bit more.  Maybe then I'll actually have some success.

No good angle!

So, since my hip injury 6 years ago, and combined with thyroid issues and other factors both in and out of my control, I've been slowly and steadily gaining weight.  Imperceptibly so, if you've been at all with me as it's happened--about 10 pounds a year...but that sure does add up!  (Yeah, you do the math.  Sad, right?)

Usually when I look in the mirror there is a magical angle where I can turn my body one way and my head another and honestly tell myself, "Well, I'm not really THAT big."

Today I could find no such angle.

Friends, this will not do!

*Note: Unlike many people, I am not saying this so that you will contradict me and I can feel better about myself.  I do not believe in fishing for compliments.  I really am overweight and this is me acknowledging that I have some part in it.  This is a genuine dismay and a discovering that as unhealthy as I've felt INSIDE, now it's really starting to show OUTSIDE.  Remember that whole New Years Resolution to be healthier?  Yeah, maybe I really should get on that!*

Today is a Sad Day

I just ended an almost 19 year streak of being vomit free.  :(

And before y'all go jumping to conclusions, it's accompanied by fever/chills, I have been around more sickies/carriers in the last two days than in the last several months combined, and while pregnancy isn't totally impossible, it's also not very probable. And it would be too early for morning sickness, anyway. Pretty sure I'm just actually really sick. :( Which makes it not worth it and therefore even worse. Hahaha...love my own logic.

And the diagnosis is...

IRITIS!  You can google it, so I won't go into details about it, other than to say it wasn't an infection at all!  Just an inflamation.  Still dangerous and bad, but still just as treatable.  I have steroid eye drops to help with the inflamation that I take every hour on the hour while I'm awake, and a dialating eye drop I take 4 times a day, until I meet with them again next week.

Can I just put a plug in for Optix?  Down on the Levee.  SERIOUSLY.  They were SOOOOO nice, when I went in (after being rejected at the community health clinic) and told them I had no appointment and no history with them and no insurance but my eye was bothering me, they were more than willing to make room for me right away.  (They also have doctors on call after hours.)  I was in and out in 45 minutes, and it was reasonably priced (comparable to the Minute Clinic at CVS, but these doctors specialized in eye health, even better for me!!!)  They gave me enough samples of the expensive medicine so that I wouldn't have to go buy it, and a generic prescription for the dialation stuff.  The guy I saw said he was really glad I came to him because he's seen a lot of doctors misdiagnose what I have for an eye infection and just prescribe antibiotics, and it's a waste of time and money and does more damage in the long run to the eye.  But he's seen a few patients with this, so I'm glad I went to him!

Now just to get used to the concept of dropping milky liquids into my eye...on purpose!

The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly Eye :)

Not that I have 3 eyes to talk about.  :)

Sometimes, especially since this blog is such a public thing, I am hesitant to write about the bad along with the good.  Not that I have much to complain about, really--just the usual that any young couple has to worry about, really.  But I have had some problems with my eye since last Saturday, and we've just been patiently waiting for a paycheck to go through (TOMORROW!!!) so that I can go see a doctor about it.  Here is what my eyes have looked like since Saturday:

Note how the left eye is all red and the eyelid is kinda droopy, even though I'm doing my best to keep it wide open.

So, here's the story.  Saturday, my eye was kinda tender to the touch, and the corner of my eye was a little bloodshot.   I've been having sinus issues all winter long, so I think that's probably related, because I was feeling a lot of pressure behind my eye.  I also get headaches several times a week and migraines about once a month.  Sunday, my whole eye was pretty red and not only was it tender to the touch but the muscles that move it hurt a lot when I looked down or too far to the left or right.  Monday morning, my eye was REALLY red and it pretty much hurt to look anywhere, at all.  By Tuesday, it also became really sensitive to light and started tearing up at random, and that's pretty much how it's been since.  Tuesday night/Wednesday morning I had a little scratchy feeling (like an eyelash) that was keeping me from sleeping, so I got a blessing from Paul.  What a miracle the priesthood is!  I was able to go back to sleep almost instantly, after being up and crying for like an hour.  Last night was a similar story, but after some excedrin and finding just the right amount of eye-to-pillow pressure I was able to go back to sleep on my own.  It is SUPER sensitive to light at night, but if I get a lot of rest the pain is almost gone when I wake up, and then it just gets more pained as the day goes on. 

My vision is kinda blurry in that eye, too, but I'm not sure if that's just because of the strain and pain and tears or the pressure behind it or what. 

As I said, I'm mostly certain that it's related to sinuses, so I'm not too worried, because an antibiotic should help cure any infection behind my eye...but it's been going on for almost a full week now, so I'm a little worried about any lasting damage.  I hate not having any health care.  ALSO, maybe totally unrelated, but I've had a few tingly sensations around my left elbow (almost like I hit a funny bone), and Wednesday morning when I tried to get out of bed my left leg stopped working for a moment and I collapsed on the bedroom floor.  It wasn't asleep or anything, there were no "pins and needles" sensations, but I could feel the muscles above the knee contracting like a charlie horse in the making.  It was strange.  But after I called Paul at work to make sure he was there, I was able to get up just fine and my leg has worked fine since.  Having all these things on the left side makes me a little worried, too.

Then there are the eye problems my dad had.  I don't know all the details, but I know his retina detached when he was only a little older than I am now and it was related to a cataract and eventually (after multiple surgeries) he lost vision in that eye.  Actually, after cancer, he lost his eye altogether and has a glass eye.  It makes me a little worried about this, too.  But, on the plus side, if I lose my eye, we'll be twins!  I think it was even his left eye...

I guess I'll find out what's REALLY going on tomorrow when I go see a doctor!  (Let's hope!)

New Year's Resolution

Normally I have something in mind, but other than vague and various hopes for my future (many of which I don't have as much control over as I wish and the rest not really on a timeline), I'm not really feelin' any resolution calling my name.  I used to have a million of these (categorized by body, mind, and spirit), but in recent years I've felt the need to simplify and pare it down to only ONE goal for the year.  It gives me more focus. 

And even as I type that, I am inspired.  :)  What I really want is to make my body healthier this year.  I want to exercise regularly, get off this sugar train that I've been riding all through the holidays, and I want to be consistent about taking my herbal blends and remedies (especially the MindTrac, LB, and Low-Functioning Thyroid ones).  I feel like a big part of my anxiety and even depression has to do with my body, from self-image issues to hip pains that get in the way of EVERYTHING some days to the fact that if you don't exercise you don't have certain endorphins released, etc.  I'd like to lose weight, of course, but for me right now it's more about preparing my body for healthy service, whether it's becoming strong enough that I can help with our move this summer (still in town, we just hate our apartment), or enjoying marital bliss better, or having energy to play with my niece and nephew and PUPPY more, or preparing my body for a healthy pregnancy (which is STILL at the top of my wish list!).  I don't want to say I'll lose x number of pounds because (a) I'll just get discouraged along the way, (b) I don't know how much my thyroid will allow for weight loss, anyway, and (c) knowing myself, if I reach that goal then I'll get complacent and just stop doing those healthy things!  But I can quantify a few things, and I'll try.  I sort of gave up on the biggest loser thing because for me it became all about the weight loss (which I wasn't getting) instead of building a healthier lifestyle.  (Admittedly, it would also help if I had a hubby who would do it with me, but he certainly doesn't have any weight to lose!)

My New Year's Resolution is to help make my body more healthy.  I will do this by:
(1) CONSISTENTLY taking all of my herbal teas/pills, 3 times a day. 
(2) Making sure I have one hour of moderate-intense physical activity every day, of which at least 10 minutes is YOGA!  (Seriously, it is SOOOOOO good for my hips.)  This may be on the wii, or walking the dog, or doing a workout I got on Netflix, or whatever, as long as I'm moving!
(3) After the holidays are over :), going back to my "only eat dessert twice a week" rule. 
(4) Eating only one helping at dinner!  (I got off that sometime in November, darn holidays!)
(5) Researching and implementing at least 2 techniques for stress management, because when I get stressed out, my tummy gets bigger and I break out on my face.  That needs to stop!  Not to mention there is TOTALLY a link between the health of the mind and body.
(6) Recording weekly (Sundays!) right here on this blog my progress for the week, including weights, measurements, struggles, impressions, product endorsements, and pleas for support!
(7) Keeping the house cleaner (it's always straightened up, really, but I don't dust and vacuum and scrub toilets and stuff as much as I should).  I think that's part of the reason Paul and I get sick so often in the winter, because no fresh air + all those germs = unhealthy people.  Not to mention our whole house smells like OBI!  Which reminds me, we need to give her a bath!

*Whew*  That's really 7 resolutions wrapped up in 1, and I get that.  But, you know what they say about making SMART goals--they need to be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely!  I think (hope) that my long-term goal WITH all these mini-goals, or steps, meet those 5 criteria.  :) 

Woohoo and huzzah!  Let the new year BEGIN!

It works! It really works!

So, I have a very dear friend, Clair, who's very into herbal and dietary remedies and, more especially, prevention.  I'm not too smart about these things, but I'm smart enough to listen to her.  :)  Today, I tried curing an earache with onions.  IT WORKS!  It really works.  Since I figure I'll forget someday, and since most of my friends and family have small children and probably are curious how to save a couple of bucks AND save their children from pain, I thought I'd write it down.  For you and for me.  :)

I had a sort of sinusy-pressure kind of earache, not a full out ear infection.  I think that's important, but maybe it isn't, or maybe not to you, at least.  Anyway, first I took Clair's advice and cut an onion in half, heated it up (in the microwave, I was antsy) 'til it was steaming, let the halves cool until they weren't too hot to handle, and held them up to my ears. It felt SO GOOD. Kept them there for 15 minutes. AMAZING. BUT, when I took them away my ears started to hurt again within a few minutes. So then I squeezed the warm, squishy onion 'til the juice came out, mixed it with a little olive oil, and made ear drops out of it. That really did the trick. I did the drops twice within 20 minutes, massaging the ear as the liquid went in and then again to get some of it out.  I'd had an ear ache buliding up for two days, and finally tried it--it "cured" the pain within an hour, and it has lasted all day.  Only now, after lots of sinus pressure all day, has it started to come back, and even then it's NOTHING like it was this morning--I won't even tell you what I'd been considering trying before this!  Anyway, I'm a believer!  At least in the power of onions.  :)

Funny enough, when I told Paul about this and explained what I'd researched about the amazing anti-inflammatory nature of onions, he said, "Oh, THAT'S why my dad always put onions on my ankle when I sprained it!"  :) 

It's funny, all this wisdom that the older generations have, home remedies, that sort of thing, and they usually work pretty dang well!  And yet either they don't pass it on to us, or we don't listen.  Well, I'm going to listen a little bit more carefully from now on.  Why be dependent on doctors and drugs when (sometimes) everyday foods can do the trick just as well?  Of course, I still take Excedrin for my migraines and I plan on using the doctors and drugs when I need to...I'm just beginning to learn how to take care of MYSELF and my family when I can.

Also, today I made ginger tea with lime and honey.  YUMMY.  But I made it a little too strong for Paul's sore throat and it burned all the way down.  :(  But I'm sure it'll be good for him and his perpetual cold, anyway.  And I discovered that ginger and lime are AMAZING together.  That, naturally, led me to this.  Tell me that doesn't make your mouth water!  I'm going to have to make this VERY SOON...

Biggest Loser, Week 3!

I pretty much failed at all my goals last week (but, thanks to a change in diet, at least I still lost a couple pounds!).  So, this week I've got the same goals as before: only have dessert two days, Wii Fit for 300 calories, and a 30-minute walk daily with Obi.  *sigh*  I have all day to myself to do pretty much whatever I want, but it's still SOOOOOO hard for me to get motivated!  I could use some perspective or bigger motivation.  All I ever want to do is watch stuff on Netflix and cuddle with Paul when he's home.

Health Care

I weighed in this morning at 200.2 pounds!  That's not too shabby, although I know our weight fluctuates daily anyway so I'm not going to get TOO excited...but to "lose" 1.8 pounds in 4 days?  Yeah, I'm feeling good.  And the exercise on the Wii has been a nice energy boost this week, even if being sick has counteracted that...so I feel pretty normal overall.  :)  Mostly, I'm excited to see *some* progress, because it motivates me more to keep it up! 

Next week's additional goal: take Obsidian for a half hour walk every day.  This is on top of the Wii and "no seconds" rule from last week.  :)

On a related note...

I'm not educated enough to really understand all the aspects of our health care system or ensuing debate, but occasionally I feel I have to rebut one side or the other of the argument.  As my mind has been focused on health this week, it seemed appropriate.  :)  This morning I read on several facebook friends' walls a note from a doctor to the President or Congress or someone equally important about how unfair it is to pay for the healthcare of those who abuse their bodies and abuse the systems in place...those who spend money on tattoos, fast food, smoking a pack a day, wearing high-end shoes and chatting on brand new cell phones and other "luxuries and vices" and still wind up on Medicaid.  He stated that we have a "culture crisis" rather than a "health care crisis" and that our nation's health care difficulties would disappear once we stopped rewarding irresponsibility and dependency.  It was a powerful letter, and it made a lot of sense.  I've seen, my family has seen, many who abuse the systems our government has in place and make it that much more difficult for those who really need those systems to obtain them.  I'm all for better education, higher accountability, and conditions or stipulations that have to be met before help is offered.

But what of those who genuinely are trying?  And where do they draw the line?  How much "luxury" is too much?  What of those who, like Paul and I, are just starting out and working at jobs whose health care packages are nonexistent or completely unaffordable?  Sure, we overspend at times, but even if we saved every cent that didn't go to bills we could not afford any health care plan out there that is worth having.  I'm excited to get pregnant so I can qualify for Medicaid.  Maybe then I can get my thyroid checked out?  I don't think completely-free-for-everyone healthcare is the solution to any crisis in our country, whatever you call it, but I have to stick up for the little guys that DO need free, QUALITY health care and programs that reward those who aren't drug-dependent, or reliant on smoking and tobacco, or permiscuous and having 2-3 kids as teens, to get us through the day.  To wish it away by education and discontinuing free services is, in my opinion, oversimplifying a very complex issue.  It's certainly a valuable insight and a moving opinion, but it is not the whole story.  I have no solution to offer myself, though, so maybe my argument doesn't matter much in the end.

Just something to chew on this weekend.  :)  Happy Friday!

I'm certified! (or is it certifiable?...)

I am now officially certified by the American Red Cross for basic first aid and CPR/AED on adults, children, and infants. GO ME! Now I can help save a life, too...but hopefully I'll never have to call on my mad skillz! :)

ALSO, everyone should own an AED. Seriously. It tells you what to do, so you don't have to think...which, in an emergency, seems logical to me...

Exhaustion?

I wonder if anyone could explain this to me. I was sleeping almost never earlier in the semester, averaging maybe 3-4 hours a night, and I was exhausted. Then my sister gave us her car and my husband was able to drive himself to and from work, so I started sleeping 7-8 hours a night. Still exhausted. Now, I'm so tired all the time that even after laying in bed for 13 hours a day (on average) I am still exhausted...like, last night I slept 6 hours and then today I took a 7-hour nap with my husband. But no matter what I do, or how often I sleep, or eat, or move around, I'm always tired. Not just tired, EXHAUSTED. I could crawl right back in bed right now and sleep LATE in the morning, if only my schedule would allow it. Does this NOT make sense to anyone else? Should I see a doctor or something, or is this just an adjustment thing? How long do adjustments take before they are no longer adjustments and become actual problems?

Caida's Update

Caida is back at home as of yesterday, and is doing much better. Time will tell as far as the medicine she's on, but Cerene feels that she's in good hands with the doctor there. We'll see about the neurologist appointment getting moved up or not...but either way, the immediate danger is gone for now and I am so grateful! Thanks for any good thoughts or prayers sent our way.

Please pray for Caida!

If you have a spare moment, please pray for my niece Caida Lee Darland (the cutie in the middle). She's 4, and she's got epilepsy, and she's in the hospital because she was having grand mal seizures so often and so badly through the night that they had to put her on oxygen because she couldn't breathe on her own. She was blue and foaming at the mouth. The worst part is, she knows when they are coming on now and she gets so petrified that she SCREAMS before her eyes roll into the back of her head and the seizures come on. She's got an appointment with a neurologist in OCTOBER, but after last night the pediatrician on call at the emergency room is going to see what he can do to bump that up. (Finally, a doctor I don't have to hate!) Also, unlike all the doctors Dad & Carri took her to, this one's not just going to "up the medicine and see what happens" but is going to try something new. Finally! Paul's going to the temple today, thank heavens, so he's going to put her on the prayer roll. She's far away enough we can't go visit her, which is the hardest part of all for US, and I don't know if my sister knows any priesthood holders out in NC to even give her a blessing. Anywho, thanks for any thoughts and prayers you can spare. I'll keep you posted.

Lafayette Hunger Hike

Hello, one and all! Tomorrow afternoon I'm participating in our city's Hunger Hike, a fundraising event for the local food pantry. Last year our food pantry used up twice as much food as the year before, and we have more than 4,000 homeless children and many more families who rely on events like this to raise money and awareness.

I'm super excited. If anyone wants to help out, sponsor me! Our group (headed up by Ben Hecht, our activities committee chair, so don't be fooled by his name at the top) has a goal of rasing $500, and we're only halfway there...but many of the donations have been around $10 and have really added up fast. Donating is fast, easy, and even a $5.00 donation would go a long way. You can do it anonymously online at http://www.firstgiving.com/purdue_lds . I know most of my friends are likewise in hard times, but this is a great way to sacrifice a small amount to help those that are even less fortunate...

Thanks to all, and wish me luck!

Bilateral Schizencephaly, one open lip & one closed, with partial agenesis of the corpus callosum

A mouthful, I know. But that's what's plaguing my new nephew Caleb right now, and I have had a lot of questions lately about what exactly it is and how it's going to affect him in the future. So I thought I'd put up the medical terminology and give you a few links to start out on, and if you still want to learn more you can google 'til your fingers drop like we all have been doing for the last week. :)

http://www.emedicine.com/radio/topic622.htm

http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/schizencephaly/schizencephaly.htm

http://www.emedicine.com/radio/topic193.htm

http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/agenesis/agenesis.htm

But you know what? Despite the grim picture painted by both these websites and the doctors, Caleb is doing a lot better than we expected already and he's got a lot of promise in him. So do not despair! There is hope. Where there is life, there is always hope.

But a few prayers never hurt anyone...

72 hours, 5 hours of sleep, and totally worth it...

My little sister went into labor on Friday and had a baby late Saturday night (11:28). The baby boy is relatively healthy so far, although he is in NICU for some problems breathing (people gotta do that) and for weak reflexes...but he's getting stronger and I know it's thanks to a lot of prayers and faith from lots of family and friends. We may not get to keep this boy around for long, for an adoption is in consideration, so it's impossibly hard not to get too attached. But a new baby boy is always nothing short of a miracle.

No one should look this good in labor.

Mom's touch...

I think we hit a record of most non-related visitors during labor...

And here he is, a brand new baby boy!

A very nice nurse helped her out during the homerun stretch...

So very tired, after such a long and hard labor...but you did it!

Like I said, Paul, you're gonna have to wait a few more years!

Breathe! Relax! It's over! :)