Easter crafts with the kiddo

Chris has CQ today, so for the next 24 hours, it's just me and Conner. He's been asking to color a lot, so up first, printable Disney Easter pages that I found over here at Disney Clips. Free to print off the pages. He loves Mickey Mouse and Pooh, so it worked out perfectly. Here is a picture of his masterpieces. 

Next up, making a family of bunnies out of toilet paper tubes! Paper towel tubes will work just as well. I cut the tubes to make a taller 'Daddy Bunny', a little bit shorter 'Mommy Bunny' and of course, the little 'Conner Bunny'. He had so much fun making a mess. We painted the tubes and let them dry. Since I knew he'd make a mess and I have no painting smocks, I made a makeshift one out of a garbage bag. Cut three holes, two for arms and one for his head and voila! After they were dry, I used a sharpie to make their eyes, nose and whiskers. I'm all out of mini pom poms, but if I had some, they'd have tails, too. For now, a drawn on tail will work. I cut out some ears from paper and glued them on. Here's our little bunny family.

Last up, cookies! I will make some sugar cookies later tonight in the shapes of bunnies and eggs. Conner will get to decorate them with some icing. This also will get a little messy, so back to a makeshift paint garbage bag apron. Overall, I think we had a pretty successful craft day. Full of fun. If I remember, I'll snap some pictures of the cookie decorating and add them here.

16 week update

Wow! A whole 4 weeks has already passed by. It seems this pregnancy is going very quickly. I'm sure all of these appointments and the anticipations of a visit home and moving have something to do with it. I've already posted about a lot of the issues we ran into within the past month, so I'll just briefly update with the results I have on some of those. First, here is the tiny bump finally starting to form, although I am still losing weight. Sitting at -6 pre-pregnancy weight right now.

The 3 hour glucose came back normal, so no hypoglycemia like we had predicted. They still want me to continue to monitor my blood sugar because it helps a lot to visually see when I need to eat. I have to eat every few hours to try to keep it up. I've taken to carrying small snacks and bottles of juice with me when I go out in case I have a random crash. My thyroid is also alright. All of my bloodwork is fantastic. I opted out of the genetic testing. The way I see it is that I will love this baby no matter how he/she is when born, so there is no need for me to know ahead of time. Plus, my poor arms are spent from needles, so unless absolutely necessary, no more of those until labor.

My EKG and EEG we not exactly what they wanted, so their fear of possible seizure activity has not been ruled out. They referred me to have a sleep study done, but unfortunately nobody here can get me in until the very end of April or beginning of May. We have so much going on in those last few weeks with the movers coming and finishing up paperwork for Chris to clear, that there is no way we can squeeze any of those appointments in. They have officially been put on hold until I get to Fort Stewart.

I did test positive for Group B strep in my urine. No, this is not the same as strep throat. I was told not to look on the internet, but of course that made me want to google it even more. I am on antibiotics the next 7 days and have to have antibiotics in an IV drip while in labor since it can pass to baby in the birth canal. It's not like this is a super rare thing. About 25% of healthy women can be a carrier of it. It's just better that we've figured it out now so that we can get the proper treatments in order, because it could be fatal to the baby in the uterus or if it's transferred during delivery. It can cause miscarriage and stillbirth. It also can, if passed during delivery, cause meningitis in the infant, which ultimately could cause baby to die. The chances are VERY small, and mostly only exist if not treated, but they do still exist, so I'm taking any steps necessary to attempt to prevent the transfer of it to baby. This means that yes, I will be delivering in a hospital so that myself and baby can be watched before, during and after delivery. I'm completely content with this. 

I have still not been seen by the cardiologist for the halter monitor study. I have an appointment on April 16 for that. Hopefully they don't want to do a study longer than 15 days, or I will have to put that on hold, too. I also have one more OB appointment in 3 weeks (April 25). I will not be receiving another ultrasound here at WBAMC since I need my medical records for when we are travelling and it will be cutting it super close to us leaving since they don't do another one until 20 weeks. Chey told us about a place in Las Cruces, NM that is very cheap who does gender scans, so I set up an appointment with them. Thankfully, they do them on weekends which helps me out tremendously since I'm technically not supposed to be driving until all of this testing is complete. It also means Chris and Conner can be there! We go to that on April 21st.

Aside from all of that, the only other update I have is a heart rate. I've gotten to hear the heart beat twice. Both times it was 160. Seems this little one isn't a fan of the doppler, just like big brother. Takes forever to get a good reading, but it's there. I've also felt baby a few times, and he/she definitely prefers one side over the other. I still don't have much of an appetite, but have to eat every few hours to keep my blood sugar level good. The things I prefer to eat are dairy or citrus. So now I'm able to do a few more gender predictions before our big scan. According to these, our new team total is:

TEAM PINK - 6

TEAM BLUE - 0

product review - JHSC Scrub and Body Butter

Hey readers! I have a product that I am super excited to tell you about! Let me start off by saying that I have always had issues with acne. Since I became pregnant, it just intensified. Nothing has worked for me. I've tried pretty much every brand of product you can buy from a store and prescribed medication to no avail. I finally found a product that works for me! There are so many good things about this, so let me lay it all out for you.

I'm talking about the Jones Handmade Soap Company's Body Butter and Scrub. Two different products combined to create amazing results! First, let's get down to the nitty gritty. I discovered JHSC last year at a bazaar here on Fort Bliss. I was all for supporting another military wife and keeping my business in the local community instead of a big box store. Not to mention, all of her products are completely natural. Everything that is put into the product is listed on the product itself, so you will know if you might have any allergic reaction to it. Owner and creator Fe Jones is such a fantastic person to do business with. She takes time to answer any questions you may have and recommend products based on your issue. Not only are these products wonderful for acne, they also help with skin irritations such as eczema. There is a wide range of products available, from chapsticks to lotions to the brand new body wash that will soon be launching! For customer convenience, you can make purchases online and have them shipped to you, or visit the fabulous store in El Paso, Texas located at 5533 Alameda St #3. She also has a Facebook Fan Page set up so that you can keep up in real time with everything going on with the business. You can go 'like' this page right here - Jones Handmade Soap Co.

Back to the review! I have used these products for a year now, so it's high time I gave some good feedback. I used the Scrub every night before bed. I have the 'Lavender' scent, which is absolutely fantastic. It's also available in the 'Citrus', 'Pink' and 'Vanilla' scents. It's not like your normal scrubs. It's not as rough as most scrubs I have used before, but definitely gets the job done. I wash my face with warm water and then apply the scrub. Rinse and there you go! In the morning, I use the Body Butter, also in the 'Lavender' scent. This is available in all of the previously mentioned scents, as well as 'Unscented'. I particularly love the Body Butter because it doesn't feel heavy and my face does not feel oily afterward. It took 6 days - you read that right, S-I-X, for my face to almost completely clear of all acne! I took pictures along the way to show my progress. I should have taken the first picture in better lighting, but it was really bad, especially in my chin area. After six days, the acne has cleared and the redness has gone down. Well, the redness that isn't natural for my pale, Irish skin. :) You'll have to click the image to enlarge it.

All of her products are very fairly priced. For a natural product, you just can't beat it. I recommend JHSC products to everyone. I'm so thankful I stumbled upon Fe and her company, and will continue to be a dedicated customer no matter where this crazy military life brings my family!

when it rains, it pours.

Oh man. So my last update was about my hospital trip on St. Patrick's Day. So much has happened in between then and now. I spent almost every single day last week at the hospital for some sort of testing. Tuesday I had an appointment with the neurologist. They did some basic testing to figure out what we needed to do. She put an order in for an EEG, a whole bunch of labs, and a 3 hour glucose test. She said there was no point to the 1 hour, because she knew I'd fail it. I've been taking my blood sugar multiple times a day since the 17th. At least for the moment, I can link my low blood sugar drops to if I haven't eaten anything in a few hours. Usually after I eat, it goes back up. So it looks like I will need to start travelling with juice and snacks on hand at all times, just in case I experience a drop. 

Wednesday I had a prenatal appointment. Heard baby's heartbeat for the first time, coming in steady at 160. She found it right away. Such a relief. With everything going on, I was beginning to get super worried that something may be wrong with baby. After that appointment, I went to get a majority of my labs done. 

Thursday morning, Conner woke up throwing up. He couldn't even keep pedialyte down, so we decided to take him to the emergency room. Worked out, since I needed to have some more testing done around the same time we were taking him in. Chris went with him to the ER while I got my glucose test done. Let me just say, my right arm is a trooper! They can never get blood from my left, so every time they have needed blood it comes from the same vein in my right arm. As I was wrapping up my last blood draw, Conner was being discharged from the ER. Turns out he had food poisoning. They gave him zofran and after he kept some pedialyte down for them, sent him home. A few hours after getting home, Chris began throwing up. We figured out what happened. The day before, we got Cracker Barrel for lunch. Conner got a kids burger and only ate a little of it. We wrapped it up and took it home. When Chris got off duty, he ate the rest of the burger before we took Conner to the hospital. It hit Chris after Conner because he ate it after Conner did. Cracker Barrel was wonderful with how they handled it. Corporate even called me back the next day to make sure everything was alright with them.

Friday was my first day away from the hospital. Chris and I got to have a date night and saw The Hunger Games. It was pretty good, but of course I still prefer the book. 

Saturday was Chris's birthday. We had planned to have a family day, but ended up doing some other stuff instead. We went to the store for a few things and then Chris wanted to go see baby Alyssa since he was feeling better. Came home and made dinner. I had a really bad headache all day, but that night it got to the point of it feeling like a migraine. I called to see what I could take, which is rare. I hate taking medicine. About 5 minutes after I took the tylenol, I felt like I needed to throw up. And I did. Very violently. To the point where I peed all over myself. I'm so glad I was home and not out, because that was totally embarrassing. This continued every hour until about 4:30am, when I just gave up on sleeping. 

Sunday, I spent pretty much the entire day laying on the couch because I felt so nauseous. Chris ran out to get me some crackers and Sprite. I'm so lucky to have an awesome husband. Of course, due to the constant throwing up and lack of eating from it, my blood sugar was super low all day.

Today I am feeling MUCH better. Don't feel sick at all. I've been able to get up and clean, play with Conner and eat breakfast and lunch. I had to call to reschedule my EEG because the lady who does them was out sick the day of my appointment. I have that tomorrow. Another OB appointment on April 4 to get the results of all of this testing. A cardiologist appointment on April 16. Probably 1 or 2 more OB appointments and another follow up with the cardiologist and then we'll be leaving Fort Bliss.

I have to say though, throughout this past week and some days, I am so thankful for everyone who has stepped in to help. It's not easy being on no driving orders. I have to find someone to take me to appointments, watch Conner, pick me back up. Chris can't get off work unless it's absolutely necessary. Plus, all of the friends and family constantly texting, calling, messaging me just to check up. It makes it better to know I have support during this rough time. I will never be able to convey my thanks in the way I want to. Until next time.

having a rough few days

Just like the title says, it's been hell. Saturday was St. Patrick's Day, my favorite holiday. Don't you dare start stereotyping me, lol. It was also a lovely almost 80 degrees in El Paso. I have been having these dizzy/fainting spells for quite a while. They have gotten worse with this pregnancy. We went to WalMart to pick up baby's nursery set and while we were there, I started randomly sweating, my face went pale, my hearing was muffled and my eye sight got blurry. I grabbed ahold of the counter and was able to regain my balance and had Chris go stand there to wait on the money order. We got something to eat because I assumed it happened because I hadn't eaten in a few hours. Once we got home, I had this awful headache and was still very faint feeling. I decided to go into the ER. 

Chris dropped me off around 3:45ish. At 4 they got me checked in. I sat in the waiting room for 3 hours before they even called me back to take my vitals. Waited another hour and a half before a doctor came to see me. He instantly thought what I've been thinking all along, that I'm hypoglycemic. But just to be safe, they also ordered an EKG and some more blood tests. Waiting for another few hours before anyone came to do those. I was in between sweating and freezing because of the cold hospital, so my veins weren't playing friendly. Because of that, I got a nice golf ball sized bruise where the vein blew. It wasn't the nurses fault, it's just how my body was reacting at the time. The EKG came back with some abnormal results. Waited for another few hours before I was discharged. They had originally wanted to keep me for a few days to get the tests done at once, but I told them that I didn't have anyone to watch my son for that long while Chris worked, so we are scheduling everything one at a time. Unfortunately for me, I got those lovely no driving orders now, so I have to find someone to take me to every appointment. Sucks. Makes me feel like a child. I have to see a neurologist, a cardiologist to be fit with a heart rate monitor, and check my blood sugar multiple times a day. 

It was almost 2am when I was released to go home. Slept for a few hours until Conner woke up. Then there was a nasty sand storm, which made my sinuses go nuts. I pretty much was lazy all day long to try to get my energy back. Yesterday it was freezing cold and we had some bipolar weather. Liz came to visit and while she was here, it thundered and a little lightening, then random hail, then some snow flurries, then rain, and then just clouds. Hard to believe it was so nice on Saturday. Anyway, after she left I was alright for a while. Before we went to bed, I started having some pretty bad cramps, but figured I'd just try to sleep through them. I ended up waking up every single hour because they hurt so bad. Around 3:30, I woke up in tears. I could not handle it anymore. Poor Chris woke up with me even though he had to be at work super early. I ended up deciding to not try to fall back asleep, because they hurt worse when I was laying down. They were all over my stomach and up into my back. Walking around helped a little bit. I still had no blood, so I didn't want to wake Conner up and go to the hospital and it be nothing in the end. Now it's about 7:15 and they are almost completely gone. I'll still bring it up to my midwife tomorrow at my prenatal appointment.

I have an appointment this afternoon with the neurologist. Hopefully finding out what steps I need to take with them. I pray they figure everything out quickly, because I have less than 2 months left here at Bliss. I think because I had such an awesome pregnancy with Conner and had a wonderful first trimester with this one, now it's going to be awful. =/ Oh well. As long as baby ends up healthy, I'll live.

monthly baby update

I'd suck at doing weekly ones, since it's been pretty boring. Anyway, welcome to week 12, Baby Myrda! Technically that was yesterday, but I forgot to write this. Still no symptoms, aside from the missing period and my hatred of food. Well, I love food, I just never feel like eating. I don't feel sick or anything, I just am not hungry. I have to force myself to eat so that baby is getting the nutrients needed. I've also been making myself drink a glass of milk a day. For those who are close to me, everyone knows I can't stand milk. It makes my stomach hurt so bad after I drink it. But I know baby needs it, so I drink it. 

Baby Myrda has been good to me thus far. I'm very lucky to have no symptoms (again). I haven't gained any weight yet and I actually look smaller than when I started out, so no bump yet. For some reason I am starting to feel that baby is another boy, but of course I could be wrong. Chris and Conner are convinced baby is a girl. Either way, we'll find out in about 6-8 weeks.

I have another doctor's appointment on the 21st. It's just a regular appointment, so I don't think I'll get to see baby. Hopefully we will be able to hear him/her on the doppler this time! After that appointment, I should be able to make the 'big' appointment for the gender ultrasound! We plan on doing a gender reveal party here in El Paso. It will be the last get together we will ever have here. Kind of bittersweet.

I did a few of those 'gender prediction' tests. I did the baking soda one twice. The first time was before 12 weeks and My reaction was iffy, so I did it again. I also did the Chinese gender calendar and the dangling pendant over the wrist one. Here is our 'team' count so far:
TEAM PINK - 3
TEAM BLUE - 0

no bake energy bites

Since finding out I was pregnant, food has really been the last thing on my mind. I am never hungry, but that also means I never had energy. I originally found a recipe for no bake energy bites on Pinterest. A friend of mine found the same recipe and made them, and she loved them. I decided that since I need to eat SOMETHING, that this is small, yet good for me to try. And they are amazing! The original recipe called for 1/2 cup ground flaxseed, but I couldn't find it so I just omitted it.

Ingredients:

1 cup old fashioned oats

1 cup coconut flakes

1/2 cup of peanut butter (or nutella, yum!)

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

1/3 cup honey

1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for half an hour. I left mine in there for an hour, just to ensure it wasn't too sticky. It's still very sticky when you start rolling balls, so my advise is to spray a little nonstick cooking spray on your hands and rub them together. You might have to do this a few times throughout. Take about a tablespoon of the mixture and roll into balls. Eat up! Store them in an airtight container for up to a week. This recipe got me about 20 of the bites.