We are 16' goin' on 17 da-da dum da Dee daaah

  The Wee Baby Ness has made an appearance and even strangers can now see our delight. Rainbow babies are extra special and make everyone smile! If you aren't aware of what a rainbow baby is, it is a baby conceived after a loss or miscarriage. Using the universal sign of hope, a rainbow, symbolizes the beautiful part of making it through a terrible and powerful storm, of which we are so fortunate to have survived. We've been waiting for a rainbow for a few years.
   My shifts at the brewery have been shortened, to give more time to prepare for baby....and relax. I always have amazing stories though from the people I meet. The other day, as I explained our menu to a young couple, their inquisitive toddler sat there. Mid sentence, I felt a POKE POKE POKE on my belly and I looked down to see their little girl poking the Wee Baby Ness and smiling and blabbering on to the little occupant in my womb. I smiled as I felt the wiggles from inside me. I really enjoy the fact that everyone in my life, strangers included, treating me - us - as if the baby is a "somebody" already. My coworkers chat up the Wee Baby Ness, one always pokes, and all of them give affectionate rubs. Our family also takes turns chatting and caressing.

My view of our Fierce little Ness

Another month has flown by and we have seen our primary OBGYN again. I've been feeling pretty great although I've had a few episodes of heart palpitations and vision changes, both associated with m hypothyroidism. I'm still donning my own jeans with a belly band, despite the big growth expanse in my belly region. Again, I battled the terrible nerves of stepping on that scale at the doctor's office. But what did I really have to worry about...right?! The same smiling faces greeted us at the office and I turned the corner to see that silver menace...the scale. With a deep breath, I stepped on...drumroll....BOOM.....I gained a whopping 9 pounds over the last month. **sigh** Internally, I was/and continue to be ----devastated. My blood pressure was right on target, so that fact is awesome. Next stop, a meet with the OB and to listen to the heartbeat.
   We found the little pitter patter heartbeat immediately, and big smiles filled the room, but quickly the squirming began. It was as if the Wee Baby Ness discovered the hiding spot was comprised and said,"Ske-Daddle!!!" We all laughed as the baby scurried all over, running from the Doppler. The heartbeat was good, a moving baby is excellent! Smiles all around! Now....back to the weight gain. Where, why, how??? I'm gluten intolerant so that's usually where the bulk of most people's diet problems lie. We tested my TSH and that came back normal...Thank the Gods! They assured me they had no worries at this time and sometimes people gain lots one month and hardly any the next. We just need to wait it out and see if any more hypothyroid symptoms rear their ugly head.
   Of course my brain couldn't let it drop after we got home....I researched water retention remedies, and stumbled upon B complex vitamins. I had been taking them and just didn't pick anymore up when I ran out. I discovered this may contribute to a sluggish metabolism...hopefully BINGO!
   Time will tell if this helps at all or if more hypothyroid symptoms will begin creeping in. I'm so
thankful that the baby is healthy and growing...and that we are enjoying every moment of this
journey! Meanwhile, we keep preparing by making diapers and thinking of things we are going to
need when March 2017 arrives!

My champion family who I love with all my heart! My husband is helping me make cloth diapers and 

our daughter is building the chest of drawers for storage for baby.

Swimming in chlorine: Chemicals in your water

   I have been an avid swimmer most of my life. I even spent a decade as a lifeguard, swim instructor, pool operator and lifeguard instructor. I love, love, LOVE swimming. I haven't been able to swim since July of this year and finally my husband and I swam this past week!

Here we are at our favorite indoor facility!

   We live in a climate that waters do not remain open year round so we are mostly swimming in chlorinated pools. There has been lots of documented information that points to chlorine or bromine in swimming pool as a cause for low thyroid. Fluoride in water and toothpaste can also affect your thyroid. All three of these chemicals interfere with the absorption of Iodine.  Finding this information out crushed me. Swimming is my sanctuary, especially during my healing process. Getting rid of fluoride from your life is a subject for another blog.
  I really thought about it....How can I do my favorite sport and stay safe? Your skin is your biggest and most exposed organ. Think about that. Think about all the "stuff" you put on your skin to either feel good or better. I had already started making my own sunscreen with safe ingredients for autoimmune people---so why not make a liquid body armor so my skin doesn't absorb chlorine?
   One way to tell if your skin has absorbed the chlorine is if you smell of chlorine long after you've swam. There were many many times I would smell like chlorine daily, especially during the summer months. That meant I was operating with chlorine in my system constantly, blocking iodine from getting into my system where it belonged.
   I started experimenting with my sunscreen formula and took out the zinc, added more beeswax and a little more apricot oil and it is perfectly waterproof. My sunscreen recipe can be found in a previous post on this blog. I tried this out and the water beaded up throughout my whole swim. I coated my hair with this as well so my strands wouldn't suck up any inferior chemicals. Score one for the Hashimoto's warrior!

Here I am this week ---15 weeks and counting! Our little bump is coming along nicely. I keep occupied with my family, brewery business and simple things!

A little friend in our backyard

by Cris M. Ness

The Ness Crew

September 2016

The 2016 Harvest Moon

by Cris M. Ness

Celtic Reiki and me: Treehugger deluxe edition

   Yesterday was a big day...I was completing the LAST double (double serving shift) at the Firehouse Brewery, also remembering the thousands of people who lost their lives on 9/11 in the USA fifteen years earlier, but I also completed my attunement for Reiki Level 2 Practitioner in Celtic reiki.

....also I felt our Wee Baby Ness move around all day! It's always a surprise to feel your little moving about in there at first. It started with a faint internal poke, then again. An hour later, yup, I felt the sensation again. It's official---I'm manifesting and growing the mighty Thor at 14 weeks LOL! I've been feeling our little one all day today too. There's no denying our excitement as we are in the second trimester!

   What is Celtic reiki? I sure hadn't heard of it and I'm in the Reiki business. As soon as I stumbled upon it, I knew it was exactly what I needed to be into. This form of reiki differs a little from traditional reiki in attunement so as well as knowledge of meridians in the body for body work, it also utilizes other energies to accomplish healing.  I am of Viking ancestry...there's no denying it, I am always drawn to that root. I've always had a healthy relationship with trees and plants, even as a child. My parents would remark about my "green thumb". After reading about how I would be attuned to the vibrations of the trees and plants, I knew.  This was what I've been looking for! 

Practitioners of Celtic reiki, also known as Bio-energy healing, believe that the power of the universal life force can be enhanced by calling upon additional energy forms that are connected to the earth and things of the natural world. Combinations of different life form vibrations, like in trees and plants, will make a healing or goal manifestation session most effective. In essence, we believe we are ALL connected.

   There are three distinct types of healing energies: earth derives energies, the second is manifestation  energies and the third is master healing energies. A Celtic reiki session usually last up to an hour and utilizes the placing of hands that will trigger a deep state of relaxation.

   Celtic reiki can be used in healing as well as goal manifestation. These are achieved through meditation practices. These meditation practices can encourage an energy flow in such a way that a person's goals are realized on the physical plane. 

   I will be achieving my Master in Celtic Reiki soon and will be bringing that to the Black Hills area. In this day and age, folks need all the help they can get with their day to day lives. 

Giggles, grins: Some firsts and Lasts

We look fabulous at 13 weeks!

   It's been a month since we've been to our OB and this week we could hardly wait. We've all been working hard all summer long because of the nature of our industry. We live in an area of the United States that lives off of the visiting tourists. Our "weekends" exist on Mondays and Tuesdays. I work as much as I can for three months, to kick back and take it easy for nine, working part-time at the brewery. The first trimester of this pregnancy has really been flawless for us for a change...no spotting, no vomiting, no cramping, no real reason to worry.

10-11 week bump

August 2016

   Last weekend, we took the first real weekend mini-vacation, in well over a year. It was a great opportunity to talk to our parents and let them know about the Wee Baby Ness. All parties involved were genuinely surprised and shocked and relieved to hear how closely involved we've been with our health practitioners.

Two of our beautiful girls

on our mini-vacation

August, 2016

   Fast forward to Tuesday afternoon and we found ourselves clinging to each other in our OB's office trying to break the nasty streak of the horrible second time visits. I felt really good, nausea is subsiding, my energy has slowly returned, I still fit in my pants. All great signs. With a call of my name and a turn of the corner, it was time to step on the scale...secretly something I had been worrying about the past two weeks. With all of my previous pregnancies, even those including my live births, I gained weight like an elephant! We are talking I could gain up to three pounds overnight. With our last live birth, my little normally 120 pound frame was walking this earth with an over 200 pound body...little did we know at that time it was the effects of hypothyroidism and I would go over a decade without a proper diagnosis or treatment. Those were not fun times. I took a breath and stepped on the scale...I looked at the numbers and looked at an already smiling husband. Three pounds. Completely normal weight gain for the first trimester! 

   Big smiles from the staff as soon as we entered the nurse/doctor hub in the internal office. We nervously smiled back. I entered the blood room myself as Clayton waited in my exam room. The attendant marveled at my veins and eyed them with glistening eyes. "Ooooh you've got some nice ones!" I laughed and said they have long since gotten over being shy with being tested monthly or every six weeks.

   I re-entered the exam room and found Clayton playing with the usual things in the room. He enjoys rolling around on the stool, acting like a doctor, using the foam cleanser on the wall. He became the doctor as soon as I entered and made us laugh. After a little while, our trusted OB came bounding in. She asked the standard questions and then prepared us for hearing the heartbeat for the first time. "Now this is the Doppler machine and we are going to listen to the heartbeat of your baby. At this stage, sometimes it is hard to find them as it is so tiny right now, but we will find it!"

   I laid back and as soon as she applied the Doppler to my belly, we heard it instantly. She smiled and made a joke to her assistant that she was three for three on the day. "Nice! Hear that? It is a healthy 160!" Clayton fumbled around with my smartphone for a video. She ended up helping him with his cameraman skills! "Ok, that's a good one...erase that previous one!" She is a hoot! We were smiles upon smiles with that thumping. She told us congratulations three times - we certainly are feeling like a success story for the time being. She reminded us that they would be calling us with the news of my bloodwork and was pleased when I said I felt it was right on target because I haven't been noticing any thyroid symptoms.

My new meditation blanket

   We are on our way into the second trimester! Today, we received the news from the bloodwork and it is all in the "normal" ranges! Happy dances across the globe as I tell my tribe the good news!

  I've begun sewing some adorable little cloth diapers to keep positive. These really keep my spirits up and keep me centered.

 Things are looking grand. I'm going to continue what I've been doing, and hopefully I will return to my swimming routine soon. I've been missing out on some good swims! And now I can fashion a little baby bump in my bikini.

My last hurrah on my

bicycle until our baby

arrives! Riding the big

Mickelson Trail in the beautiful

Black Hills of South Dakota!

We both love riding

with this amazing man, my dad!