24 Days of Thanksgiving: Day 2

 Photo Credit: http://www.therunningshoesguide.com/have-wide-feet-choose-the-perfect-pair-of-wide-width-running-shoes

I am thankful for the ability to be active.  Six months ago, I was on bed rest.  I was "sitting on my nest" for a very long 5 1/2 weeks because little Owen wanted to come too early.  (Side note:  it was certainly worth it.)  Around the first of April, I got the news that I needed to be on "complete bed rest," due to regular contractions at 31 weeks.  This meant I could do N-O-T-H-I-N-G but get up to go to the restroom, and I had to take a special pill to stop the contractions every time they came.  It was so hard to just sit there when my kids were wanting me to be up and play with them.    I could literally feel my muscles turn to Jello.  I vowed that when I was able, I would get active again.  I started working out 6 weeks after my c-section and now I workout 6 days a week.  I can pick up my kids, even two of them at a time, with no problem at all.  I can run up stairs and not get winded.  I can lift weights!  With all that said, it feels so good to be active again.  I know God didn't create us to be sedentary creatures.  I am so very thankful that He has given be the ability and the strength to be active and healthy at this point in my life!

Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon (WW Version)

Upon receiving a Weight Watchers magazine in the mail this week, I was thrilled to find a Weight Watchers version of Boeuf Bourguignon. It is Julia Child's recipe, with a healthier twist. The original is 17 points, and the WW version is 8. For those of you who aren't familiar with WW speak, 17 points is quite a bit! I have wanted to make this since Troy and I saw the movie Julie & Julia because it looked mouth-watering in the movie!

So, this week, I attempted to make it and succeeded! It wasn't a difficult recipe and I got the roast I used in it for $1.99 a lb! Score! For a little more Europen flair, I served the meal with Orangina, a French baguette, and a spinach salad.

Here is the recipe....enjoy!

Boeuf Bourguignon
(Taken from WW Magazine January/February 2010)

2 lbs bottom round roast, trimmed of fat and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1/4 c all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 (14 1/2 oz) can low-sodium beef broth
1 c red wine
1 (16-oz) package frozen pearl onions (I used 3 fresh brown onions and it was delish!)
1 (10-oz) package of cremini mushrooms (I couldn't find these, I used brown bella instead)
2 Tbsp tomato paste 4 garlic cloves, chopped 1 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme 1 bay leaf 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp black pepper 1 lb carrots, thickly sliced 2 Tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
*I also added 1 bag of Trader Joe's Fingerling Potatoes

Directions
1. Toss beef and flour in medium bowl until evenly coated. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat (I don't have one...a large pot with a lid works just fine!). Add beef, in batches if necessary, and cook, turning occasionally, until browned, about 6 minutes. Transfer to medium bowl with slotted spoon.
2. Add broth, wine, onions, mushrooms, tomato paste, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, salt, pepper; bring to a boil, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pot. Sir in beef and reduce heat. Cover and simmer 1 hour. Stir in carrots (and potatoes, if you are adding them). Cover and simmer until beef and vegetables are fork-tender, about 30 minutes. Serve, sprinkled with parsley.

Mud Run

Troy, the brave soul, signed up to do the Camp Pendleton Mud Run in June. Although he had almost no time to work out due to his busy work schedule, he still went through with it! My husband is a man of his word! So, on the morning of June 6th, Troy ran a 10k race with hills, mud pits, rivers, and some pretty rough terrain. I waited with a few friends at the finish line and was VERY PLEASED to see him cross it! He ran it in an hour and fourty-two minutes, which was better than the time he set as a goal! He was pretty much covered from head to toe in mud. His teeth even had mud in them! He really enjoyed the experience and would like to do it again....I'm still not sure if I will join him!

Patiently Waiting...

I have gone two weeks without picking up my baby boy. It has been very hard. I have two more weeks to go. The days are going by very slow. Lord, please give me patience.

Couch Cuddles

Well, I can't pick up Jackson right now, so this is the next best thing....By the way, the surgery went well, even though the incision was a bit sloppier than I prefer. They tell me I will get my belly button back as soon as the swelling goes down. I sure hope so! I saw the surgeon today and he checked out the incision and said it was healing up okay. He sort of apologized for the sloppy incision, but not really. He kind of had a big head about it all. Oh-well....I can't do anything about that. He told me I would hardly see a scar after a year. Let's hope! :)

Yea! Surgery! Finally!

Well, I am going under the knife today. I am finally getting this umbilical hernia fixed. To some degree, I am somewhat excited to get it over with. I want to get on with normal life, not having to worry if I am lifting too much. I want these next few weeks to go by really fast so I can pick up Jackson again (I can't do that for 30 days after the surgery, they are telling me). I will be needing help every week day to take care of Jackson for at least 3-4 weeks, so if you would like to help, please email me or call me. I could use all the help I can get! I appreciate everyone's prayers. Thank you!

Arnica

Since Jackson had his first fall (into the coffee table), he's had several more. I've heard from experienced parents that this is completely normal. All you can do is watch them close and try to baby-proof your house as much as possible. I've learned though, that bumps and bruises can't be entirely prevented. In the case that Jackson bumps his head, I immediately put ARNICA on the area. It either prevents the bruise from showing at all or makes it almost disappear. Its quite amazing! Seriously...if you have an infant that is crawling, pulling up on furnature, or learning to walk, you NEED this! It is available at health stores such as Clark's in Riverside. You can also find it in some drug stores, or on websites such as Drugstore.com and Walgreens.com.

Melissa Weighs In

I have lost a total of 11 pounds and 15 inches. I posted some before, during, and after pictures for you to view on my fitness blog. Please click here to view the blog.

Jackson Weighs In

I weighed Jackson in last week---drum roll please---and he weighed in at 18 pounds, 10 ounces!!! He has gain over 5 pounds since his 6 month check up! I also measured his length. He is 27 inches long. He is back on the charts at 10th-25th percentile for weight and 5th percentile for height. All that formula, meat, eggs, cottage cheese, fruit, and yogurt has paid off! This made me feel extremely happy! I have to admit, after weighing Jackson, I picked up Jackson and danced around the living room and screamed, "Yea!!!! Jackson's a big boy!" I'm sure you all could imagine that, right? :)

Jackson AKA "Bruiser"

Jackson and the coffee table met. This was the result. Needless to say, we are getting rid of our coffee table! He was a good sport through it all, though, and even smiled a short while after the tragedy. We gave him Tylenol for any throbbing pain caused by the crater on his forehead and applied Arnica cream to the bump. ARNICA actually worked and made the bruise not as purple within a few hours! Shortly after he smacked into the table, he was hugging it again! How soon he forgot!

Yet Another Surgery Update

I went to see the surgeon on Tuesday and there is good news! He said I could pick up Jackson, with caution, of course! Yea!!! My surgery is scheduled for August 18th. That seems a bit far away, but it doesn't seem so bad now that I can hold Jackson again!

Another Surgery Update

So, folks, the squeaky wheel DOES get fixed! I called and left a message for the surgery department (after calling Kaiser every couple hours for a few days), and I got a call back. They changed my appointment for the surgery consultation for this Tuesday. Please keep it in your prayers. I am hopping to get a date for surgery sooner than later! I thank the Lord that He provided an earlier consultation date!

Surgery Update

For those of you who know how "the system" works at Kaiser, they can be soooo slow! The first available date for the consultation with the surgeon is July 17th. They are kidding me, right? Do they now know that I can't pick up my baby?!?!? Apparently not. I've told them, but it doesn't seem to matter. I was told I can call as many times as I want to check for cancellations so I could get in earlier. I called three times today with no avail. July 17th is almost 5 weeks away...and that isn't even the surgery date. Who knows when that will be. I NEED TO PICK UP MY BABY!

Sorry...I'm sure you know that by now, but I need to vent. It is very hard to not be able to pick him up when he is upset or reaching up for me. I have to get someone to do it. Someone else has to walk him outside and show him the birds and the trees like I did every day. Someone else has to put him to bed in his crib at night. Someone else has to pick him up from naps. Someone else....

For those of you who are a "someone else," please understand that I am truly thankful. I'm just trying to deal with this emotionally by venting a little. Again, please pray that I can get in soon! I appreciate all your help and prayers!

I've had better days...

Here is how today went down. I woke up and nursed Jackson as usual. I still had a bit of that stomach ache that started on Saturday, but it seemed as though this stomach ache was often present lately. I ignored it for the most part. It isn't unusual to have a reoccurring stomach ache for several months, is it? By the time I carried Jackson from the nursery to the couch in the living room, the sharp pain set it. This was to be expected. This sharp pain would occur after 2-3 days of a bad stomach ache for months now. And nothing seemed unusual to me...hmmm. This time, though, the pain was extremely severe.

I decided to go to bed and put Jackson down for a nap with me. Jackson fell asleep, but I couldn't. This sharp pain hurt really, really bad and the positions that usually help just were not working. Perhaps there was something unusual about this pain. I lifted up my shirt to look at the area that was hurting. Hmmm. I could no longer see my belly button. That WAS unusual. I wondered if this golf-ball-sized lump that took the place of my navel was a hernia. I proceeded to look it up on the internet. Yup. Sure sounded like a hernia. I made a doctor's appointment. The pain was severe. I couldn't stand it anymore. I was going to vomit if it got any worse. Seriously. Me + Severe Pain = Vomit. Jackson woke up. I couldn't bare to carry him. It hurt too much. I sat him slowly on the ground and sat next to him. I started to cry. He got worried and started to try to climb on me and wanted me to hold him. It hurt too much. I got more upset and called Troy. I couldn't wait any longer to go to the Doctor. Forget the appointment! It was time for Urgent Care (which, by the way, isn't always so "urgent").

David and my mother -in-law came to watch Jackson and Troy took me to Urgent Care. It turned out that I do have a hernia. The P.A. pushed the lump back in (O-U-C-H!!!!) and continued to tell me about the hernia. This one is called an Umbilical Hernia. Lovely. Apparently, it was probably caused by pregnancy. My abdominal wall was weakened and never quite healed. The exercising, carrying Jackson and his carrier, and lugging 5 bags of groceries on each arm from the car to the apartment probably didn't help at all, either. I'm not sure if there is ever a good time for a hernia, but this certainly is not a good time! I am waiting for my surgery to get scheduled.

Most likely, the surgery will be laparoscopic. Until the surgery, I can't lift, pull, or push anything over 5 pounds. This means I can't pick up or carry Jackson at all. This is a HUGE challenge for me! I have people coming over for the first week so I won't be alone with him at all, so that is good. But, emotionally this is very hard for me. I can't pick up my boy! He doesn't understand that, either!

Please pray that I can turn to Christ in those times I feel I am going to get teary-eyed because I want to hold my boy. Please pray that I can heal quickly and that the surgery will be scheduled promptly. I may be out of commission for several weeks (that includes the time before and after the surgery). This will be hard for me. Sanctifying, but very hard. I will update you all when I get my surgery date. Oh, yeah, and I give any of you permission to force me to the doctor the next time I have chronic pain for several months!

Oh, Happy Day!

Today I am absolutely thrilled. I got my braces off today. I no longer look like a pregnant teenager! Its amazing how different my teeth feel! Its so easy to smile now that my lips don't get caught on metal! Aside from the fact that my smile does look a bit different than before, I don't have headaches, jaw pain, and neck pain anymore. Those symptoms were caused by TMJ and the simple fact that my front top teeth were angled in such a way that they were putting constant pressure on my bottom teeth. The orthodontist pulled my front teeth forward to take the pressure off and widened my bite. It worked! I'm so happy they fixed me! I still have occasional stiffness and cracking in my jaw, but that is way better than pain and pressure!