Tagged

So, I got tagged by Tracey. This was the first time Cooper ever pulled up in his crib. It was July 25. He has pulled up everyday since. Nothing like that first time though. So here is how it goes. This is a really fun one. Open up your pictures. Go to the 4th folder and post the 4th picture. Explain that picture as it will likely need explaining. Tag 4 friends. I tag Erica, Melissa, Sarah, Shara. Have fun!

This weeks healthy menu

Monday: Breakfast food. I had some left over sausage from Saturday's soup and decided to make breakfast for dinner. We'll be having eggs with sausage and gluten free waffles. I will brown the sausage, then drain it, then scramble some eggs with it. I would add a little shredded cheddar, but I'm no doing dairy, so I'll leave it out this time. I'm just using a gluten free "bisquick" if you will for the waffles. I'll follow the directions subbing for dairy free and eggless for Cooper. Serve with some fruit and syrup.

Tuesday: Tuna fish salad. We will be eating out with Curtis' mom at lunch, so we will have a simple dinner. Prepare the tuna to your liking. I use a little mayo, sweet pickle relish, celery, apples and pecans. Curtis doesn't care for the sweet stuff, so I'll make his without the fruit and nuts. I'll have mine wrapped in some romaine lettuce leafs; Curtis will have toast or crackers.

Wednesday: Turkey tenderloin with vegetables. AWANA starts back, so I needed a easy meal today. Cook turkey tenderloin in crockpot with carrots, celery, potatoes. I would usually put onions and garlic in too, but I want Cooper to have it so I will leave it out. Season with salt, pepper and poultry seasoning. Pour lots of water over it because it will make lots of great stock to freeze. Cook for several hours until cooked through. Thicken some of the stock with corn starch for a gravy or serve with cranberries, or both

Thursday: Vegetable stir fry. Saute lots of different veggies in some olive oil. We will have carrots, snow peas, mushrooms, onions, peppers, broccoli, bamboo shoots, whatever else looks good at the store. Then I'll make a sweet and sour sauce. I mix apricot fruit spread, a splash of rice wine vinegar, a splash of soy sauce, a little stock (the turkey stock from earlier in the week works) and some red pepper flakes. Let it get all bubbly and thick. Serve over steamed white rice.

Friday: Smothered steak, rice, and peas. Brown chopped sirloin patties in a skillet. Once browned, transfer to a baking dish. Saute sliced mushrooms and onions in the juices left in the pan. Add some beef stock (saved from a roast or a gf canned stock) and some corn starch to thicken into a gravy. Pour over the patties and and place into the oven on 350* for about 25-30 mins. until cooked through. Serve over steamed browned rice or egg noodles if you can have them, and a veggie on the side; we'll have peas.

Saturday: Vegetable beef stew. Stew meat is on sale this week, so I will be using that, but you can use whatever cut of meat you like, cut up into chunks. Brown chopped carrots, onion, celery, and beef in the bottom of a big pot. Then add cabbage, corn, and potatoes. Add a can of stewed tomatoes and tomato sauce. Thin with some water or stalk. Season with salt and pepper and whatever else you like.

Sunday: I believe we will be eating at Church after the morning service. I will probably bring some leftovers. We had a week full of food, so there will be plenty of meals to choose from.

Project 365 (1/5-1/11)

So, I have decided to take on the huge task of a picture a day for a year, well almost. I am off to a late start. For the details, reference this post on These Three Remain. Here is our first week in pictures:


January 5: Cooper's first taste of turkey. Can you tell he liked it? Better yet, it liked him!


January 6: Disobeying with delight. Ahh, that sinful nature!


January 7: We almost forgot it this day. Sleeping soundly in mamma's bed until daddy gets home.


January 8: Cooper evaluates the damage from the tornado that hit our playroom.


January 9: I just loved this picture. A huge smile on his face, with tears from moments earlier still in his eyes. And you gotta love the bruise on the forehead and scape on the nose.


January 11: I took this one on the way home from church tonight. He wouldn't stop laughing. He was just so happy, I had to grab the camera.

My computer is giving me problems so the January 10 picture will have to be in a separate post. Annoying, I know!

Christmas Pictures

So there was entirely too many pictures to post them individually. So I put together this slide show. I know it may be a little busy for some. You can click on it to just view the photos. I hope you enjoy them. The first few are from our Christmas card that my sister, Emily took. The next are from Christmas Eve. One of the neatest things about having a family is you get to make your on traditions. We started a tradition that Cooper will get three gifts from us on Christmas Eve, to represent the three kings. We will tell him the story every year. The next few pictures were after the Christmas Eve church service. And then the next were from Christmas morning. Our Christmas was more wonderful and blessed than I could have ever imagined.

Frustration

WARNING: This is a rant, I repeat, this is a rant. And it may be a little TMI, especially if you are male. Proceed with caution. I am so frustrated. I am in pain today. I got my cycle back after 20 months or so with out it. I don't have any pain medication, so I called my gyn's office and requested something for the pain. The nurse called me back and our conversation went a little something like this:
Nurse: "You probably just are having cramps because of your cycle."
NO CRAP SHERLOCK! Ok, sorry I know that wasn't very nice at all. No worries, I didn't say that out loud.
Me: "I'm sure that is the problem, but my pain is very bad with my cycle because of my endometriosis."
Nurse: "I'll talk to him about it, what do you usually take?"
Well, here's the part where I feel like a really druggy.
Me: "Um vicodin, or loratab, or any other hydrocodone drug, but I usually just need it the first few days."
Nurse: "ok, I'll see what he says." Click!

Now, she just called me back. Here's how that went.
Nurse: "Um, Molly... have you ever tried anaprox."
Me: "No, what is that?"
Nurse: "It is a medicine they use for the pain and menstrual cramps"
Really, I hadn't figured that out yet. Again, sorry, it is the hormones talking.
Me: Well, is it naproxen?
Nurse: I think it is two or three different things, all for the cramps.
Me: Ok, I'll give it a try
Nurse: He doesn't want you to have the darvocet, but if your pain gets really bad, give me a call and I will call it in, but it will only be for #30 with no refills.
Me: (starting to get irritated, who am I kidding, I'm way past irritated) Ok, I have tried a lot of different things. I've had horrible pain for as long as I can remember. Click!

So, first off, darvocet isn't what I asked for anyway. It gives me a terrible headache and I hate the stuff. I'd rather be in pain, then in pain and have a headache from the meds. Also, I googled anaprox and it is just rx strength naproxen aka alieve. Doubtful that it will help, but whatever. I have tried so many drugs. They put me on celebrex when I was 16! Yeah, the one that may have caused heart attacks. Honestly, I couldn't even tell you what all I've tried. I AM NOT AN ADDICT! Or, maybe I am, and that's why I had 3 surgeries in 3 years, for the drugs. NO, wait, it's because I have endometriosis all over my reproductive organs and bladder. That's it, that is why I did it. I am defiantly NOT and addict. I am really wondering if he looked at my chart. Doesn't he remember me? The one who by age 20 had 3 laps. The one who couldn't conceive on my own even though I was young. The one who took lupron for 11 months. I mean, if I was an addict, I would have skipped the medically induced menopause and stuck with the drugs for the pain.

The problem is, I received really great care for the 2 years prior to getting pregnant. I went to a dr who knows this disease. I went to a dr who hated that my life was consumed with pain. I went to a dr that didn't want to see my marriage suffer because of this disease. I went to a dr who wanted us to have a baby. I'm not saying for a moment that my current dr wants those things for me, but I'm just not sure he knows me or this disease. He was a wonderful ob, and exceeded all my expectations when it came to my pregnancy. Maybe he is too busy with the ob part of his practice to treat me. I don't know. I just don't ever want to be treated like an addict. Now I'll leave you with a quote.
"I don't have a problem with pain medication, I have a problem with pain" -Dr. House
Oh, wait, he is an addict. HA!

This weeks healthy menu

After being on a very strict diet for 8 months, I kind of went nuts after weaning Cooper, eating everything I couldn't have before. I realized quickly that I needed to avoid things, namely gluten and dairy, not only for Cooper, but for my health as well. I had cramps and headaches almost everyday since re-introducing these foods into my diet. I know that I need to avoid these "inflammatory" foods. I am going to do my best to be on a gluten and dairy free diet, and avoiding soy as much as possible. There is an "endo diet" that is very similar to this, and as I said before, I'm going to fight this disease head on, starting with the things that go into my body. So my blogger and fellow reflux momma friend Erica gave me the idea to do a weekly menu. She has great gluten free recipes as well as a wonderful outlook on what it means to be a Christian. You should defiantly check her blog out. I feel like putting a menu into type will hold me to it a little more. Here it goes...

Monday: Chili and Gluten free cornbread. The high is in the 30s today, so I thought chili sounded great. Now, I am not 100% sure about everything that is gluten free. I will be double checking my labels when I go to the store later, but if you are Celiac or can't have gluten, triple check, just to make sure. I know most of the "hidden" culprits now, but also it won't hurt me if I get some gluten. Anyway, just make sure and check for yourself. Here is the recipe for the corn bread. It is delicious. I made dressing for thanksgiving out of it, and it was a hit, even with my very skeptic family members. For the chili, I will be using ground turkey. I get the one that is 93/7 fat ratio. I will brown it with a diced onion and a few cloves of garlic in a little olive oil. You can drain off in excess oil, but there probably won't be much. Then I will add some chili seasoning, about half a packet. This is where you need to check me on the GF. Mix that into the meat mixture, then add a can of tomato sauce, a can of diced tomatoes (I get the ones with jalapeños and garlic because I like it spicy), a can of Ranch style beans with jalapeños, and a can of drained pinto beans with jalapeños. I don't drain the Ranch style beans because they are in a chili sauce and I like that. You can also add a tablespoon of tomato paste for a deeper, long cooked flavor. I let this simmer for a few hours until we are ready to eat. The longer it simmers the better. You can even cook the meat in a skillet, and then transfer it to the crock pot to cook all day. Serve with corn bread and shredded cheese if you can have it.

Tuesday: Pork chops, green beans, and potatoes. I will get what ever cut of pork is on sale this week. I will season with a little salt and pepper and brown in olive oil in a skillet. Super simple. This is a staple at our house. For the green beans, I will use fresh or frozen whole green beans. I thinly slice button mushrooms and a little bit of pork chop. I sauté the mushrooms and the pork in olive oil. Then I add the green beans. Cover and cook until tender. I'm not sure yet what kind of potatoes we will have, possible baked.

Wednesday: Cube steak with peppers, onions, and tomatoes. Slice one large onion and a couple of bell peppers into thin strips. Put cube steak in the crock pot and cover with the onions, peppers, a few cloves of garlic and a can of stewed tomatoes, salt and pepper. Let simmer all day until tender. Serve over steamed rice.

Thursday: Chicken legs, oven fries, and salad. Bake skin on chicken legs on 400* until golden brown and cooked through. This is a great alternative to fried chicken. Here is the recipe for the fries. You can cook them at the same time as the chicken. I will serve a tossed green salad with lots of veggies and homemade balsamic vinaigrette. Just mix balsamic vintager, olive oil, sugar, salt and pepper to taste, and a dash of hot sauce. The best part about this meal is Cooper can have the chicken and the fries!

Friday: Salmon Croquettes, beans, and chips. Here is the recipe for the salmon. I will be adding an egg to this recipe though, since I can have that now. It helps it bind. Serve with your favorite beans and chips. We will have the Lay's natural potato chips.

Saturday: Pasta Fagioli. It is suppose to be cold again this weekend, so soup it is. I will make a huge pot and freeze the leftovers. Here is the recipe:
1 lb of ground meat (chicken, turkey, pork or beef will all do)
1/2 lb of ground sausage (jimmy dean's breakfast sausage is gf, thanks Erica;) )
V8 veggie juice
shredded carrots
onion
celery
garlic
1 can garbanzo beans
1 can kidney beans
I can stewed tomatoes (I like the Italian style)
rice pasta (I like tinkyada fusilli)
Sauté the chopped celery, onion, carrots and garlic in a little olive oil until they begin to soften. Then add the ground meat and sausage. Brown and the drain. Drain the beans and add to the mix. Then add the tomatoes and the V8. There are no measurements here, just until it is to your desired thickness. Season with basil, oregano, salt, pepper, and a few dashes of pepper sauce. Let simmer all afternoon, the longer the better. Boil the pasta and add to each bowl so it doesn't get mushy.

Sunday: We usually eat out after church or with family. If not we will have leftovers from the week. If we do eat out, it will likely be Mexican food, and I will have fajita meat and corn chips, beans and rice.

This year...

Looking back on New Years' past, I can't help but be incredibly thankful that it is this year. Two years ago, I was mourning the loss of "what could have been" at the discovery of our first failed IUI. I never would of thought I'd make it to today. Last year, I was in the emergency room, holding my very frail little one as he struggled with every breath, working so hard to breathe. This year I rocked my healthy and whole little boy to sleep. PERFECTION! We made it. How did we ever get here? To this place? It happened so fast, but took so long. This year we have a toddler, who can walk and play like all the others his age. This year we will only go to the doctor for check ups and the occasional cold, not for weekly weight checks. This year, I will fight my endometriosis head on, and do my very best to preserve my fertility. This year, we WILL be healthy! This year, we will Love life and live everyday to the fullest. This year, we will pray without ceasing, praising God for the blessings abound. I am so glad it is this year!


~January 2008~ ~ January 2009~