Creating a nice bedroom, finally!

I finally found something for my bed- it was supposed to be my birthday present in May, but I kept forgetting to buy it! I just hope it gets here before the baby is born so I can have a nice room to be holed up in :)





I still need curtains and to hang my pictures up, but I think I've gotten rid of most of the visible boxes. So, when I finally find the camera, I'll take pictures :)

My children are having a time adjusting to the new house. They like it, but the changes are overwhelming them and boy are the fighting a lot! I managed to NOT pack their crayons and stuff either, so I haven't been able to divert their attentions too well. Hopefully everyone will get acclimated to the new environment soon.

Christmas in July

Last night I happened on a website (don't know how I got there now) that I am really enjoying. Right now she is hosting a series on 'Christmas in July'. Basically she is just covering all different topics such as traditions, setting a Christmas budget etc. to help you get ahead before the rush starts.

Amazing that in our busy fast-paced lives, we have to start months ahead to have a peaceful Christmas! I think it's a good idea to think ahead though, because Christmas can be crazy. I personally had decided to downsize a lot this year and making the most of the season in simple ways. For instance I have way too many decorations that I don't really love. Yet I feel obligated to use them all every year :) And I always end up buying too much stuff that adds up to a lot and doesn't last- it gets lost or broken right away almost. And, I generally plan way too many things to bake and eat...need to condense it down a bit!

So, head on over there for great ideas.

I just got home actually! I spent the morning recovering my living room and buying groceries (my mom came to help) then rushed home to drive the 1.5hrs to my doctor appointment, wait there for an hour, spend 5 minutes with the doctor, drive 1.5 hours back home again. All with my kids and mom. I am resting with my feet up for awhile. I guess dinner will be hamburger helper in the electric skillet- glad I thought to buy some today.

We're Here

Well, I'm moved. Mostly...Yesterday was a whirlwind. I wish I would have done a better job packing, but my body just gets tired out so fast. So I made it here without all the silverware, without some food, the camera and the rest of my clothes in the closet. But we're less than 20 minutes from the other house, so I can go back later and get it. It was so helpful to have a moving crew- they were fast! And, we've had heavy rainfall forecasted for the whole week, but our prayers were answered yesterday because it barely sprinkled until the middle of last night, plus it's not hot!! I have a brand new refrigerator that was 1/8 of an inch too large to fit in the space! So, we had to put in the spot we had our deep freezer in for now. Oh well, I have a fridge!

My living room is a mess. One half of it is full of boxes that I can't move yet because 1. they're too heavy, and 2. I have nowhere to place the stuff yet, we need to install the shelves first. Since hubby has to work now, whatever he can do will have to be done at night. I have to be patient...but hopefully I can get things looking good by the end of the week and do a video.

Today I need to rearrange my kitchen, get the bathroom stuff unpacked, get everyone's clothes in the right places and probably go to get some groceries. My body is very sore because I pushed so hard yesterday, but hopefully the medicine I took will kick in soon.

Also, I need some advice. I have no stove right now. I have an oven, a microwave, a crockpot and an electric skillet. What can I cook? I am not sure when I will have a stovetop either, hopefully in the next two weeks. Breakfast poses the hardest problem right now because we like to eat eggs, and unless I make a big breakfast casserole, that's out. Nor can I cook oatmeal and stuff on the stovetop...so, need some ideas please. Thanks!

Awake

The typical waking up cycle has begun. I guess my body knows that soon it's going to be up several times a night, so it just goes ahead and gets me started before baby comes. The thing is when I wake up, I generally have to use the bathroom and then I get hungry...the uncomfortable extreme hungry feeling doesn't go away, so I lay awake thinking about whatever (in this case how to arrange my new kitchen) and then I just have to get up and eat.

The last two days have been too short. My body feels like it's just giving up on me. I want to keep going but I can't, and I'm no help to my husband who is hauling all the stuff in and out of the car :) But, oh well, he told me not to feel bad since I haul the baby around all the time :)

We've about finished all the cleaning etc. in the house. It had been vacant for a year, so there were quite a few things to clean. We have run into a problem with my stove- the house didn't come with a cooktop, so we were going to buy one. However I noticed that the microwave above the stovetop area will be hanging way too low for a large pot to fit. So now we have to remove the microwave as well and find a new place for it. Kind of a dumb set up.

My husband has been really into fixing up our bathroom and bedroom nice, a great benefit for me, because then I have permission to get what I want! I've been shopping online for home furnishings, but haven't settled on anything yet. We did get the crib set up with all the bedding and my three year old's new daybed set up, but that's it. Today I must pack all the rest of the kitchen, all bathroom/laundry room stuff and the clothes. Tomorrow the movers come and I need to be ready. In all the moves I've done, this is the first time we've hired professional help. We certainly need it since I'm fairly disabled :)

We've met some of the neighbors and they are very friendly. We also found out we have a lot more land than we previously thought. We have almost a whole acre, partially wooded, but we could easily have a nice big garden and some chickens etc. running around back there :)

Well that's enough of that...hopefully I can do a video or picture post after we get things set up next week. I only have two weeks till delivery date, unless she comes early on her own.

Might be Scarce

Well we did close on our new house today. It has been a crazy day for sure! Dh and I have been cleaning and shopping and tomorrow we'll finish cleaning and setting things up. Monday we officially move.

So, I will not be around for awhile. We are supposed to have internet access Tuesday-maybe I can post then.

We'll see...finally, got things going on, no more waiting!

Believe you shall receive!

You know what, when you pray for something, you should always believe it will happen. Because a lot of times, when you pray in faith, it does!

I prayed yesterday that they would get their act together and we'd be able to close this week. Well, we close tomorrow. Sometimes I just feel like a dork. Here I am preaching about standing on the Word of God and praying in faith no matter what the circumstances look like, and I go and fall to pieces when things look bad.

I guess my excuse is pregnancy huh?

Thanks for understanding and trying encourage me. In light of all that is happening, I have decided that this little girl's name shall be Samantha Faith. It is fitting.

A peek inside my selfishness

I'm feeling really crummy today.

All night I was stewing about what in the world I'm going to do for the next several days. Because you know, I was supposed to be moving. I am so sick of this house. It has been void of anything decorative or personal for months. My bedroom is a blank sterile massive room with a tiny bathroom that I can barely fit into. The living rooms and kitchen are like a solid piece of wood with bad lighting. The house is so big it's such an effort just to get from on part to the other, at least for me.

I am uncomfortable and sore and can't do hardly anything. I can't climb up to stuff that's up high to pack or crawl around on the floor to get stuff. My children just trash the house so most of the time I'm busy trying to maintain some sort of decency. the bathrooms stink and need cleaning, the girls' room is a mess of toys that I had boxed up and they got back into, the extra living room is filled with boxes- packed and empty- and stacks of stuff for Goodwill. And I can't do anything about it!!!

I've tried asking for help, even paying someone for help, and they're just too busy. My husband is doing all he can poor thing, but what do I do? I ask myself that question all day long, what do I do now? My plan got ruined and not only that, no one knows anything about when we'll close, it's just all up in the air. If I just had the keys to this house, that would be something. I could at least clean it and bring lighter weight boxes over myself. I'm sure I would be more energetic then. Right now I just look around and instantly lose motivation to do anything.

Same thing, over and over again. Cook, do dishes, wipe stickies, stop fights, do laundry, wait, wait, wait, get hot, do more cooking and clean it up, wait some more...stop fights, stop fights! Wait, and wait, and wait...

I know what I should do...I should suck it up, take some pain medicine, clean up the house, re-box what they got out, and continue with packing what I can. But I'm just so mad still! I've been crying out to the Lord to help me get over it, but it's just so frustrating. It makes me nervous that I only have two weeks to move and get all the school stuff straightened out and prepare for a baby. I don't know how we're going to pull it off.

I just want someone to care about us. I feel like I'm screaming and no one hears or cares. We're just names on a piece of paper to those loan people. I'm just another patient to my doctor. The people that do care are too busy or too far away to do anything.

Stinks...

This has been rolling in my head all day...

Reality of me

Alright, to those of you who like reading about the real me, here's a reality post for ya. Yesterday was kind of a hard day- I wasn't as energetic and motivated to work on the house, I was hurting more and just tired of waiting to hear something about WHEN...will it be Wednesday or Thursday or what???

Plus, my children have been feeling it too and since I have many of their things boxed up, were kind of bored and driving me nuts too. In the midst of that dh calls and tells me we can't close on the house this week. I lost it. I completely and totally lost it. I started crying, shouting "I can't do this anymore! This is so unfair!" I hung up on dh, he kept calling back, I kept hanging up because he was trying to calm me down and I needed a moment to be angry.

I am so not proud of that moment, but I felt as stretched as I could get, and that broke me. The people who came to appraise the house for the insurance company somehow messed up the pictures, so they had to re-do them, and the loan company is a few days behind, so it may take till Friday to get everything approved, even though technically we've already been approved. Still, we already had a moving company lined up to move us on Friday, I've recruited others to help, boxed up many things that I could still be using...

The only reason I was able to calm down quickly was because I didn't want to stress the baby out. I was just absolutely furious. But, I recovered. I realize that what seems awful to me is nothing compared to what many people are going through right now. And it's not impossible for them to get it done quicker and possibly still close this week. It's rather embarrassing to write all this, but I'm human and make mistakes. No one has it all together.

I must remember that the Lord is ordering our path and that He knows what I'm feeling, what we're dealing with and will provide accordingly. He already has in many ways. One day I'll look back on this and think wow, how did we do that?? Power from God only!

Well, time to go to the doctor. I drive an hour one way for 10 minutes of doctor time...why do I have to go every week again??

Tell me what you want

Just curious here, what kind of stuff are yall interested in reading? I've been thinking about how things might change in the next few weeks/months and am not sure what direction my blog will take. Right now I'm really not full of inspiration- there is simply TOO much going on in my head right now to write or think beyond the present circumstances.

I mean really, how many major life changes can we make at once? Think about it, I've been carrying a baby for 36 weeks...there are 52 weeks in a YEAR!!! I'm kind of getting ready to have my body back to normal. I've also been resisting the instinct to nest and prepare for months now because I know I'll live somewhere else when she's born. That's been hard.

I am in a constant, CONSTANT state of expectancy and waiting...I still don't know if we're going to close our house tomorrow or Thursday. There's always someone to wait on to get something else done so we can sign.

I also have to go through the necessary hoops to get my oldest daughters enrolled and registered for school etc. but can't until I have an address in that town. Everything hinges on the move. I also have to make sure and call Sears to get my fridge delivered in time, AND there is no cooktop/stove- we still have to buy that too :) Also our cat is missing...he's been with us through all the moves, so I hope he turns up soon. He's a GREAT hunter :)

However, when all of this passes over, my brain shall clear a bit and life should settle into a routine and I do plan to keep blogging. The main topics I tend to write about are:

food/nutrition
recipes
housekeeping
scheduling
daily struggles with whatever
mothering
do-it-yourself stuff
Faith/Bible
Sewing

What is the most enjoyable to read or most informative? Honestly, there are probably MANY blogs out there that say the same things I do or you can search for the same information yourself. There are times when I feel like I've said it all already, do you really want me to repeat it over and over???

So, just let me know, why do you keep stopping by? What initially drew you here and what do you like best? Thanks.

Silly Me

The blessing of the Lord rains down on me now! You know why? Because it's only in the 70s right now! And, it's only supposed to get to 91 degrees at the hottest- like for the whole week! And, we're supposed to get rain for three days. And, we're moving this week so it won't be so horribly hot!

I'm in a rather goofy mood and am thinking of videoing parts of my day today. My house is a WRECK, and I don't care! I don't care because it doesn't matter anyways- I have to pack it up so it's not gonna get any better no matter what I do, which I means I don't have to clean house this week. I do want to clean the new house, and if everything goes to plan that is what I will do after closing Wednesday. Then I get to start moving, and if I remember, maybe I'll video some of that too.

I have officially started the 9th month today. I am also officially a grumpy complaining pregnant woman. But, I'm trying not to be. Just when the pain is bothering me a lot...

Anyways, I'll likely pop back on here later...need to go get dressed!


Well, no videos, but I'll post a picture. Yes I have grown, or rather the baby has. Everything is down low which is probably why my bones hurt!

Sewing Inspiration

Just letting you all know, if you haven't read the posts from Lady Lydia at Homeliving helper, you should. They are so inspiring! She is doing a series on using paintings as inspiration for dressing. I love how she takes a basic pattern and makes all kinds of different styles from that one. She looks adorable too.

Go visit her here

I've been sorting through all my sewing stuff today- wow! So disorganized!! I have not been doing any more projects lately. Don't know if I'll be able too for awhile either. Once we get settled and my older girls get into the rhythm of school etc. and baby has regular naps, I should be able to start working time in for sewing. Hopefully I'll have something of a waist back by then and can try making some new clothes. I'm gonna be on the lookout for a basic pattern that can be dressed up in different ways.

Oh and I AM gonna take a picture of the belly soon- it is growing! I'll be 36 weeks Monday, so maybe then :) I was born at 36 weeks!! What if this one decides to come too?? Hopefully she'll wait...

A Whiny post

From what I gathered, most everyone likes Samantha Sue or Samantha Louise. Yes, Louise is an old lady name, because that's my 85 year old grandmother's name :) Even though I don't particularly like it, she has been like a second mother to me in raising me, and no one has been named after her. I did do some asking yesterday and found out her mom's name was Myrtle May and my grandpa's mother was Elizabeth. So I could do May or Elizabeth in the middle.

Still not for sure :)

Well, I think we're moving next weekend. We're supposed to close on Wednesday and my husband, mom and sister are going to help Thursday and Friday. Well of course dh will help everyday, but I meant he was taking special time off. So that gives me a week to get the packing done. I'm still having a hard time balancing basic daily care of home and family with packing. Oh well.

For those interested yes I'm in a lot of pain right now :) I have a new stretch mark- amazing since my belly is covered in the stripes from the first one. I've been trying to make myself look a little better with some self tanning lotion, but no matter what I do it gets streaked all over. I'll keep trying...meanwhile, it's awfully hot and I can hardly get around because of the pain in my legs/groin area. TMI sorry...but it's really bad. I suppose it's because I'm carrying the baby so low. Maybe later I'll take a picture of myself.

However, I feel a renewed sense of purpose now. I have hope to be in our new place next week and can make myself work on things more easily. Today I am going to work on my kitchen cabinets and my sewing area. I also need to CLEAN the fridge majorly, work on the usual laundry, and vacuum my terrible living room floor. Right now I'm resting my sore body, then I'll take some pain medicine before moving on.

One last thing, the other day I got such an insanely strong craving for cherry or berry something. I was getting to the point of not being able to focus, yet I didn't want to load all the kids up and head to town just to buy some cherries. I called my cousin who works in town and begged her to get some cherries. So strange because I'm not typically a cherry person. That's the first time I've gotten a craving that strong this pregnancy. Now I'm in a baking mood- I want to make loads of blueberry and/or cherry baked goods. Odd. I hope I have time to make some food and freeze it before the baby arrives. If I do, there will be lots of blueberry/cherry muffins and quick breads I guess, lol.

Name Poll

Trying to get the right name for this child...vote for your favorite :)

1. Samantha Faith

2. Samantha Belle

3. Samantha Lee

4. Samantha Louise (after grandmother)

5. Samantha Sue - ok, Samantha is after my dad, Samuel, my mom is Sue and my husband's mom is Sue. Everyone thinks it's cute. However, keep in mind our last name starts with S.

Eating Fat

A lot of people tend to dread pregnancy because of weight gain. I know I was nervous about being pregnant with my third child because I started out fairly overweight. However, I had morning sickness and just didn't want to eat much which caused me to lose weight. Then I started taking an all natural progesterone cream daily in order to keep from miscarrying again. This had a nice side effect of me losing weight while pregnant too.

So all in all, by the time Sarah was born, I had only gained 10 pounds, and that was in the last month. This time around, I was healthier in general. I didn't have morning sickness exactly, but my blood sugar would drop out quick in the beginning. Anyways, I haven't been using the progesterone cream this time, since my hormones were more balanced to begin with.

However, I have been eating lots of fat this pregnancy. I consume a good amount of coconut oil, butter, eggs, full fat dairy products, cream in my coffee, fat with meat etc. and I have only gained between 5-10 pounds. Fat doesn't make you fat, or at least, the right fats don't make you fat. Sugar, chemicals and hydrogenated fats make you fat :)

Also, I'm not growing a huge baby, according to the doctor. Though the foods I eat are nutrient dense (or at least 70% of the food I eat) the baby isn't a whopper, but normal sized. I also have been taking really good vitamins regularly, which I thought might make the baby a lot bigger, but it doesn't seem to be the case. I would put another picture up, but I really don't look that much different. I am carrying very low this time, so it's not too obvious from week to week how much the baby is growing.

Anyways, I know MANY people are still hung up on low fat or no fat to lose weight. Honestly, I have read in several places that farmers used skim milk to fatten their animals. Fat burns fat, keeps your skin and hair healthy, lubricates all the joints and cell structures and so on. Tastes good too! Don't get me wrong, I don't eat a stick of butter at a time.

This is what I made last night:
steak with plenty of fat marbling throughout
mashed potatoes with butter and milk
salad with feta cheese and homemade dressing with olive oil


For breakfast today:
homemade apple cinnamon muffins (I did use vegetable oil since my butter was frozen)
scrambled eggs with coconut oil
2-3T cream in my coffee

The good part is I'm supposed to keep this up while nursing as well, to make sure the milk is rich for the baby. My experience has been that I am so much more hungry when nursing than when pregnant. Maybe the fat will help me not be so hungry :)

Which brings me to a question- typically it takes 5 days for my milk to come in for baby. This is hard because the baby is starting to get pretty hungry and generally I am sore and bleeding by then. Any way to get the milk flowing faster?? I was thinking of drinking nursing tea a few days before birth to see if that might help.

Organization

I am more determined than ever to get myself and my family organized. I've been slowly weeding out stuff as we are preparing for our next move. One thing I've realized is that stuff really is a hindrance. With each holiday that comes up, I am amazed at the amount of stuff available to decorate with and to accumulate. And where does it all end up? The trash mostly.

I have not always been wise in my purchases over the years. But, I'm learning that it is better to buy quality and timeless items rather than something really cute for the time being. Anyways, since this will be my third move in less than 18 months, I'm really evaluating what I want to move. Again. Is it worth moving? Do I use it, ever?

Probably the hardest part for us is the toys. We don't have a lot of them, but my children are TERRIBLE at scattering them ALL across the house. It's amazing how quickly you can find the play tea pot in the living room, the cups and saucers in the bedroom, a spoon in the bathroom etc. or outside.

So, I'm going to be ruthless about toys. Thankfully, we have two large closets in their bedrooms in our new house that we can store them in. I plan to confine them to 1 large plastic bin each (1 for each room) and then allow a basket in the living room.

Also, I have pictures of my house to be, so I've been mapping out where I want things to go. I know I will store what items in which cupboards and drawers; what I might need for storage in the bathroom and laundry room etc. My husband is sort of a mess-er. He takes everything out of his pockets and lays it on the counter, the table, the bed, the dresser etc. He piles the mail in several places and leaves his tools out. However, he is getting better, and I just group everything together and put it away- then he deals with it later.

Our life is going to change so much in the next 6 weeks. I want to make the transitions as smooth as possible. I plan to label each child's drawers with their names since they can identify them by sight now. I'm going to color code their towels/bath stuff and make it where they can reach things. I'm going to add hooks by the door to put each person's bags and label them :) Self-sufficiency is the goal! I may even have to put directions/instructions around the house for dh for after birth- like how to wash the cloth diapers or how to prepare food/bedtime routine etc.

There are still a lot of things I can't do yet, such as make a rough schedule, because I have no idea what time the girls will leave for/arrive home from school yet, or how long it takes dh to get to work/come home or how the baby will do. I have been able to do some shopping for school- supplies and clothes- so we're on our way to being done with that.

Here's a small list of what needs to happen by August 11th:
* purchase the rest of baby stuff (carseat, extra sheets, blankets etc.)
* purchase my recovery products (belly wrap and herbs)
* close on house, buy stovetop and install, move, set up house
* enroll children in school, set up meetings for Leiah
* make a trip to Sam's Club for bulk items (paper products, detergent, snacks etc.)
* harvest garden, what's left of it
* Pick out baby's middle name!!!
* haircuts

By August 24th
* finish buying school items


I have more to write about organizing and simplifying...maybe I can do some pictures too! We'll see...

Blogger Block

Right now, there just isn't a whole lot to blog about.

Sorry. I mean, most days are the same thing over and over again.

1. It's extremely hot. 106.

2. I'm uncomfortable and hot.

3. I can't do anything to improve our home here or there except pack and clean.

4. Meals are basic right now, nothing experimental

5. Spiritually, there are things going on deep inside me, but I can't seem to articulate it right now.

6. I feel bored and restless and just in a state of expectancy all the time.

7. I don't homeschool, so there's nothing to pass on there.


This is what my daily life is like right now:

Get up around 7:30, try to get dressed and clean up the bedrooms
Find the children- make breakfast
clean up the kitchen
Children watch cartoons and I hit the recliner with my coffee
Work on laundry and daily tasks- children alternate toys or go outside
Do that until lunch time
Eat, clean up
children's pool time
naps/rest
try to finish the laundry/tasks I started earlier
make dinner
eat, clean up
family time
bedtimes for children
wiped out parents chill out
go to bed, usually wake up at 3:30-4, finally go back to sleep at 5am

Wow huh?

Now, there are times when I do feel more like doing stuff, such as the videos I did or sewing work or whatever. Yesterday I cleaned out cabinets, cut fabric for sewing, did a bunch of laundry, got dinner done early and got the house cleaned up for people to come look at it etc. But, I didn't think enough in advance to take pictures or anything for the blog.

Anyways, maybe something interesting will come to me soon. Right now I gotta figure out what we're eating for dinner...

My Easiest Meal

I'm sure we all have those quick, no brainer back up meals for when we just can't think of what to make for dinner. For me, cooking used to be a joy. Now I have to figure out how to cook foods my whole family will really enjoy, as some are a little picky. And honestly, I just haven't been all that interested...too many other things going on :)

One meal we all love, especially the pickiest one, is this:

bbq chicken drumsticks
oven fries
raw veggies


All I do is lay the chicken on a sheet pan, salt and pepper it, put it in the oven on 400 degrees F for about 20 minutes. Then I start basting them with prepared bbq sauce- 10 minutes later it's done.

For the fries I scrub several potatoes- 5 good sized ones. Then I cut them in half long ways, then slice those into planks, then into sticks. Lay them on another sheet pan, salt and pepper and I add garlic powder, toss with olive oil, and slide into oven on same temp. for 30 minutes or until crispy and partially browned.

Raw veggies- this is usually cole slaw, but the cabbages at the grocery store looked terrible. Since I have an abundance of fresh tomatoes, I sliced two big ones. That's it. Everyone had seconds.

I even made a dessert. I sliced strawberries and some ripe peaches and tossed with a few tablespoons of sugar. I let that sit an hour or so. When time to serve, I took my homemade creme fraiche, mixed it with some honey and vanilla extract, and added a dollop on top of each serving of fruit. YUM!!!

Part 2 of Monday

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Today

Just a quick post here. I am planning to continue my video from yesterday so you can see the bread etc. Things got busy when it was time to bake bread and finish the granola etc. Leiah is back to herself now- she finished the antibiotic and is well. The other two had to get some immunizations yesterday at checkups, and are a bit grumpy today with sore arms, poor things.

Oh, and my comment about my camera doing something weird- it was at the time, but I noticed on the video itself it was normal. Oh well. I dumped the kombucha this morning and made the jar into a giant fly trap- they're all over it because of the vinegar-y kombucha residue.

Good news- the underwriter got our loan papers yesterday and should get it all approved today. Then we can set the closing date and move. I'm trying not to be anxious, but I only have 5 weeks left. 5 weeks to pack up, move in, get the house set up, get school things done (enrollment, ARD meeting, buying supplies/clothes)get what we need for baby etc.

Also, you know I wrote about the diet changes we were going to make? Well, since the sickness of last week, I realized it would be foolish to try something like that right now. There's just no way I can do that with everything else happening. I am glad I got the book though since it has good info and lots of recipes for when we do give it a try. Also, my herbal products are on hold as well. I'm not sure when I'll be doing that or if I'll just buy some stuff already made. But that's ok, I'll get to it when I can.

My daughter wore the dress I made but I forgot to take a picture. She really likes it too. I've been working on the baby stuff a little, but again, not a lot of time to devote to it lately. See I have to maintain whatever cleaning I did last weekend in case someone wants to look at this house since it's on the market. So, I need to stay on top of that, work on laundry, and I wanted to sort through my closet today.

SO, that's the plan. We'll see how it goes :)

Monday's Post

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Our Family Vacation Video

Developments

Leiah's illness went from bad to worse, which is why I've been away. She started feeling better, but then yesterday she had the same fever, lethargy and lots of bloody diarrhea. I was awaiting test results from the culture the doctor did from her diaper, but she started really bleeding a lot, so we went to the ER.

Turns out she contracted a bacterial infection called campylofacter- a common parasite/bacteria that is apparently the leading cause of diarrhea in developed countries. It generally goes away on its own, but young children sometimes need help with antibiotics. She was not dehydrated so we were able to go home. All we do is give medicine and push fluids.

We think it was from the waterpark we went to. For one it was indoor, so there's no sun the kill bacterias. Another she was constantly putting the water in her mouth for fun. We know it can't be from any food we ate because no one else has been sick. It hasn't been as bad as it could be since we know a little something about killing bacteria with herbs and probiotics, plus our prayers. Still, it's very scary to see blood dripping across the floor from your little girl.

So, today thankfully my husband is off work, and we will be doing the major housecleaning I've been neglecting for a few weeks and focus on getting Miss Leiah well. We plan to have a happy 4th of July tomorrow and will NOT be going to any lakes or pools :) We'll be buying one I guess for the backyard :)

For now, it's time for a cup of coffee and whipping up some pancakes with freshly picked blueberries. Maybe that will appeal to my little one's appetite. Happy Friday all!