Tuna Casserole for Hashi Warriors

   Hey everybody! Spring has sprung and we have assorted birds calling out to meet the bird of their dreams now! We are all coming out of the wintry conditions to feel the sunshine and smell the fresh breezes.

   Today, I'm going to chat a bit about how I manage my Hashimoto's Thyroiditis with something you need everyday...FOOD! Since my diagnosis, I have become quite a foodie and actually enjoy my food more than I ever have in my whole life! It's wonderful to eat and not feel lousy after I fuel my body. I have more flavor in every morsel than ever and I really do not have to pass on much except if we are at a community pot luck. There are diets to follow and it can really seem staggering to include all of those and convert to a Hashimoto's friendly atmosphere. While I won't go in depth here on the complete diet (click here to see what you can have!)  required for impact, I will share a tip or two on one of my family's favorite dish....Tuna Noodle Casserole. The topic of noodles cane up with our now afult daughter since she’s in her own and began cooking, so I thought I needed to share our noodle knowledge wealth! :)
   If you are like me, we discovered that gluten was a major trigger for my Hashimoto's. Removing gluten from your diet was tough at that time when labels weren't required to put GLUTEN FREE in bold, but these days, with the labels saying the allergens, it's so easy! That's the easy part....the tough part is saying good-bye to a few favorited food friends. I've always enjoyed my fruits and vegetables and rice as well. The important thing about halting the affects of Hashimoto's is finding the root or the trigger of your autoimmunity. Once that is pin pointed, you can stop your immune system from going whacky and attacking other important parts of YOU! OK, enough about FINDING YOUR ROOT CAUSE (click that link to start that journey!), and back to the chatter of yummy food!
   Not everyone in our family needs or has to be gluten free. But, I do the cooking so the majority of the creative genius meals are so we all can enjoy meals TOGETHER and not feel like outcasts in our own health journey! One of our favorite dishes is Tuna Noodle Casserole and we had to pull this from the menu temporarily while I was learning how to cook and bake gluten free. A good tip about gluten free noodles....always try to find corn and rice noodles to substitute for your old recipes. These taste and feel about the same as the wheat noodles. We have discovered that noodles made from other grains will feel like sand or the taste will be overwhelming and ruin an old favorite dish! I have substituted the corn and rice noodles and nobody was the wiser!

   Please enjoy my Tuna Noodle Casserole recipe and hopefully it will become your new comfort food! This dish with the dairy may not be everyone's cup of tea, and I do not have the nutritional content for it, but it was a welcomed favorite we had to put on hold for a while until I perfected the recipe. The old recipe had wheat noodles and Miracle Whip, both containing gluten.

Tuna Noodle Casserole

2-3 foil packets of tuna 
2 12 oz boxes of gluten free rotini noodles made with corn and rice
1 cup sour cream
2 cups mayonnaise
1-1 1/2 cups milk or nut milk
4 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 teaspoon sea salt, stay clear of Iodized salt! (get iodine through kelp instead)
Freshly ground pepper to taste

  Cook the noodles according to the package. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix together above ingredients in oven proof pan or dish. Bake covered for 30 minutes, uncover and bake for 10 minutes longer to achieve a golden top. Serve after briefly cooling a few minutes.

Blessings from our clan and enjoy your journey for health!

Boobie Food Love

   Interesting and catchy title....and now that I have your attention, I will be talking about, you guessed it, breastfeeding. And now that I have weeded down the crowd a little bit more, I'm going to go a bit further and talk about breastfeeding and hashimoto's thyroiditis or any autoimmune condition for that matter.

Breastfeeding in our hammock

   When we started this rainbow journey, I was certainly afraid I might not be able to keep an ample milk supply for our Finn. I've worked for two years to tame my new-to-my-knowledge  friend Hashimoto's and thyroidism.  My new menu doesn't lend itself to a lot of fatty foods. I'm gluten free and proud of it! It was such a hard road to get clean from gluten....very depressing, very difficult, very much like a drug addict. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley and in some products.
   When my milk came in and became established after a few days of Finn's arrival, I checked my milk by pumping some and letting it sit and separate. This shows you how much fat content is in your breastmilk. I periodically check the content of my milk to ensure Finn is getting enough fat in her meals. It comforts me to see the consistency of the food my body produces for our baby.
   I've started taking sunflower lecithin to add healthy fats to my milk and it helps me produce more. I used to drink fennel tea once a week or so but my fat content wasn't improving. I was making more milk, but it was more like skim milk.  Sunflower lecithin is a type of phospholipid abundant in sunflower seeds. This fatty substance is obtained by dehydrating a sunflower seed and separating it into three parts: the oil, gum, and other solids. Lecithin comes from the gum byproduct of this mechanical process. It works for me within an hour and I've come to enjoy it in some of my snack I eat for healthy breastfeeding.
   Which brings me to these wonderful brekky treats that my whole family enjoys!

Gluten Free Monster Brekky Bars

Ingredients:
3 cups gluten free old fashioned oats
1 egg
1 cup raw sugar
3 tbsp. molasses
1 tsp baking soda
2 1/2 cups peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla extract (I make my own)
1/2 cup  sunflower lecithin
1 cup carob bits or chocolate chips
2 cups mini m&ms if you desire and I really do

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray your cooking dish with coconut oil.

In a large bowl, blend  molasses, lecithin and sugar. Beat in peanut butter, egg, and vanilla. Mix until light and fluffy. I did this by hand. Add the oats and baking soda and stir well. Stir in the chocolate goodies.

Pour into the prepared pan and spread into an even layer. Bake 30-40 minutes until puffed, golden brown and mostly set in the center. Do not cook until it is all the way set or the bars will be dry. Cool completely in the pan and then cut into bars and serve. Bars may be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days. I like to keep mine in a cool place.

This yummy bar ensures I get plenty of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals  for my diet. The oats are a super food for breastfeeding moms. Rolled Oats consist of magnesium, zinc, fiber, phosphorus, selenium, and manganese. Oats are also packed with Vitamin E, flavonoids, carotenoids, and polyphenols. So ENJOY gluten free guilt free! I like to package mine separately and we all grab them on the go...especially handy to keep in the diaper bag for a snack for mom!

Her favored position at all times - even while napping :)🍯

Blessings and happy milk making!

Confessions of a parenting rebel

My name is Cris and my husband

and I cosleep with our newborn.

Let's just let that sink in for a moment...we...sleep...in...the...same...bed...as...our...baby....

   In this crazy day and age in the United States, parents like us feel the necessity to keep this forbidden activity a secret from friends, family and even coworkers and neighbors. And before I get people taking gigantic steps up to their proverbial soap box, I feel I can say a few words about this subject and it's not one that I take lightly.
   I came from a family where we are the statistic..my sibling, Sabrina Jo, died of SIDS or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome at the age of six months. My parents awoke one morning to one less child breathing in this world. My parents followed all of the "guidelines" of the day. My  mom did not smoke with my sister growing in her belly. They followed all the rules. She was in her own bed. She was not too hot or too cold. My family practiced "safe" sleeping guidelines. SIDS happened to my family.
    I do not have any memories of my sister while she was alive. I was only five years old.  My memories are of how she looked in her tiny casket. How they put make-up on her face and didn't they know make-up was for adults? I remember the cold, waxy  feel of her skin and how her smell was tainted. I would later smell that familiar smell in my high school science classroom. I have memories of random sad faces. I didn't understand  how we could leave her alone in the ground.  I was terrified of angels taking the rest of my family. I learned very early on that life just  isn't fair.
   During my youth, I spent  time researching SIDS. And even into my adulthood, I keep an eye on the research to see if the scientists and doctors are making any headway. Thirty years later, there still are unanswered questions to this label. I call it a label because sometimes infant death receives the SIDS label when the death is unexplained. It is still a mystery.
   People like myself grow up physically. We meet someone and we eventually want to have a family of our own, regardless of  the intense fear. Somehow, you conquer your brain and go for it. That first year of your child's life, you are a bundle of nerves. You read up on all the guidelines for sleeping, look at any new research, some of us pray.
   We sleep with our newborn and I'm here to say that I'm proud that I do. Our Finn has her own bed on our bed...it's called a sleep nest. I learned of this nifty little piece while looking into other countries like Finland and how they handle their infants. We aren't the only country that has babies. There is a whole great world out there that has successful child rearing going on. According to the National Center for Education for Maternal and Child Health at Georgetown University,  compared to rates in other developed countries, the U.S. SIDS rate remains high. For example, in 2005, the U.S. rate ranked second highest (after New Zealand) among 13 countries in a research study by Fern Hauck and Kawai Tanabe. The lowest SIDS rates among these countries were in the Netherlands and Japan. And according to James J. McKenna, PhD, "Most cultures that routinely practice cosleeping, in any form, have very rare instances of SIDS. SIDS occurrences are among the lowest in the world in Hong Kong, where cosleeping is extremely common".
   There are safe ways to sleep with your infant, so that people like myself, can sleep. But sadly, there are few resources in America where parents can find good information. A big push of governmental offices is to push families into not having a hands on approach to sleeping. We just received a parcel through the postal mail from our state's Governor that included several pamphlets and a child's book about safe sleeping including sleeping alone in the crib. My husband and I agreed that we wanted to be safely close to our little miracle all of the time. We've been through so much and with our history of miscarriages and my own history with SIDS, we looked into all options.

Safe Ways To Cosleep

   According to the United Kingdom's The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), there are some safety guidelines to follow.

• Keep your baby cool by using sheets and blankets rather than a duvet.
• Ensure bedding does not cover your baby’s face or head.
• Always put your baby to sleep on their back rather than their front or side.
• Babies don’t need a pillow until they are at least a year old. They should also be kept away from parents' pillows.
• Never risk falling asleep with your baby on a sofa or armchair. If you’re feeling really tired and think you may fall asleep with your baby while feeding or cuddling them on a sofa or armchair, move to a bed (keeping in mind the safety guidelines above) or, if possible, ask your partner, friend or family member to look after them while you get some rest. 

For more indepth research and tips on cosleeping, click here.

   We enjoy cosleeping. She practically has her own half of our bed and we enjoy ours -my husband and I love to 'sleep pile'--- sleep in a pile. :) We like to cuddle together and listen to her breathing, dreaming and laughing in her sleep right next to us. There is a loving touch from one of us as soon as she utters a noise. I can groggily breastfeed our baby from the comfort of our bed and maybe catch a few zzz's afterwards before we start our exciting days. Finn enjoys her nest---sleeping and then waking up and  looking  around the room in which she was born. There is nothing more natural to us. And honestly, I think many of the people we know cosleep at some point of their infant's life....they are just closet cosleepers.

We cosleep - Hear Our ROAR!

Surviving postpartum with your thyroid monster

   AAAAHHHH the little bundle you've been waiting for has arrived!

Hopefully, you got to have the amazing birth experience you have been striving for like we did! Our journey that led with our Finn in our arms was miraculous, beautiful and soul quenching.....and then we spent our recovery time monitoring not only my recovery but prepping for the probable thyroid issues that moms with hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism have to endure after bringing a life into the world. Thyroid issues..it is a flurry of symptoms that can hit at any moment when your hormones fluctuate severely like they do after you have a baby. It can't be avoided. The best you can do is prepare for it by pre adjusting your medication while you are recovering from labor and delivery and following your recovery directions to every detail. Pay attention to your body and how it feels. Rest ALOT and eat properly. Continue to take your supplements. I cannot express how important it is to stay off your feet. After two weeks, even one event will deplete your energy levels and you know what? That's perfectly fine and to b expected. Your energy will eventually return! Just spend time enjoying your little wonderful miracle!

       I cannot thank my husband and my family enough for taking such good care of me during my recovery. My husband was by my side every hour for the days he was absent from work, changing Finn and allowing me to adhere to my week long bedrest mandate ordered by our midwife. My mom filled our pantry and fridgerator/freezer with easy to make meals and family favorites so my husband and daughter could handle mealtimes with ease. We were so blessed with her foresight for that....we had food for weeks! Our daughter kept up with the household chores. My father-in-law, who happens too live next door, made himself available when my husband had to return to work for any small requests that might arise. We are so blessed! It took me a good two weeks for my symptoms to level out. The brain fog lifted, the rapid heartbeat, the added profuse sweating, the insomnia finally left. The blues didn't take hold like they can with thyroid people....Smiles were all around our little house!

  When your thyroid hormone wildly fluctuates from delivery, it can swing from hypothyroid, which means your thyroid isn't making enough hormone and you supplement that, to hyperthyroid, which means you have too much thyroid hormone in your system. Symptoms can range from headaches to rapid heart rate, inability to handle heat, severe sweating, dehydration, vision changes, swollen eye lids, fatigue, insomnia, joint pain and much more. Not only are you recovering from the pregnancy, you are dealing with these symptoms all while adjusting to supplying milk to your wee one too.
   In severe cases, a thyroid storm can occur which can be fatal in adults. If you have any of the following symptoms, please contact your midwife or obstetrician immediately.

• A very high fever of 100 degrees to as high as 106 degrees.
• A very high heart rate, which can be as high as 200 beats per minute (BPM). 
• Palpitations, chest pain, and shortness of breath.
• High blood pressure.
• Confusion, delirium, and even psychosis.
• Extreme physical and muscle weakness
• Extreme fatigue and exhaustion.
• Extreme restlessness, nervousness, and mood swings.
• Exaggerated reflexes, especially in knee and ankle areas.
• Difficulty breathing.
• Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
• Profuse sweating or dehydration.
• Stupor or coma

Please take care of yourself as you recover from your miraculous journey! Blessings from our family to you!

How our pregnancy journey became magical

   Hey kids from around the world....it's been a while since I've checked in or updates and we just had so many decisions to make on a day to day basis that I just didn't know how to feel about things.
   I'm going to start by saying I have the greatest amount of respect and adoration for my husband, best friend and partner. We made memories that nobody will understand or can even fathom and connect with....he is my breath. Period.
 And now............drum roll .........

Presenting our rainbow girl

Finn Bree Ness

Born March 4, 2017

4:30 PM

in the comfort of our home

   We had quite a journey that turned from truly feeling  terrifying to absolutely magical. From December onward, my husband  took it upon himself to be my most important resource, he helped me and agonized with me.  He learned how to give prenatal massages and learned Doula techniques to help me on a daily basis to turn the baby, keep the baby in the correct birthing position and things that helped me to breath and exist. We ended up having an extra amount of fluid that sent me to the emergency room twice with contractions....information we learned with our first visit with our midwife after she studied my medical records.  We had not been seeing eye to eye with our ob doctor and many times would get zero answers from her or her office.  After a terrifying visit at our local  Emergency Room the beginning of February we began to think outside of the box. I just didn't feel safe under the supervision of my doctor and our guts were telling us to do everything in our power to get away from that situation. It was late in the game for that so options in the United States are limited thanks to our laws. I was still under the care of my chiropractor and that office kept a nice eye of us while we made our decisions.
   Outside of the box in rural United States looks like, hmmm everybody goes to the hospital to have their babies, so any deviation from an OB or even a hospital is a little extreme in some people's eyes. My friend suggested a midwife for us. After researching that option, we both knew that was exactly the kind of care that I needed. I am a hands-on, take charge of my health kind of girl. I do not like too much medical intervention, I believe in myself and the power and might of my body. With all  three of daughters, I had natural childbirths, of which Clayton witnessed none.  Even this late in the game, at 35 weeks, this might still be an option. My parents were behind our decision 100 percent...they knew how afraid we both, and basically our children as well, of the care we were receiving.  We were terrified. I had been housebound since November and this journey was not a fun or enjoyable experience.
   We met our beloved midwife on a sunny afternoon in the comforts of our home, my husband donning his lazy sweatpants and slippers and me mounted and affixed on my birthing ball set up in our living room. I was so uncomfortable and had been for months, this was usually where I was found. She meticulously scanned my medical records for any indication that I would NOT be a good candidate for home birthing. After all, the midwife does not want to nor will be supervising  a candidate that is not within her guideline levels or comfort levels. A midwife should be certified and have an extensive background in nursing and child birthing.
    People in the medical profession always are astounded with my vital signs...they are always much better than even people that are in their 20s. Medically speaking I was the perfect candidate for home birth. It was also noted in my medical records that I had excess amniotic fluid, which could impede our baby connecting with the birthing canal, I was being kept hyperthyroid instead of inside my thyroid guidelines and that the actual due date of our little one was March 7, not the 12th as the ob office  continually told us. We were in the one week window to have a full term baby!
   We began talking about the why we wanted this and what we expected from this experience. My husband simply said he wanted his wife to survive and the baby as well. She smiled and gave a chuckle and said that nobody would be dying on her watch. She then suggested I turn toward the exercises on spinningbabies.com to expand my hips since I was extremely fit going into this pregnancy....and I was going to kind of pay for that with super tight ligaments and joints that were not "wet" or flexible. These moves I could have been doing for months in preparation but we didn't know this in time. Time was of the essence. We all decided this was going to be a great union for us and make the birth of our baby a true once in a lifetime experience for us. I really wanted this experience to be different from my other births...always scary, always felt like a ticking time bomb and I really missed my old OB. I had no idea how "midwifery" he was until now.
   Our decision to birth at home was met with a wide range of  mixed emotions from elation to pure terror from those closest to us. Summer, who still resides at home with us, was behind us but unsure of how this whole home birth "thing" was going to go down. She spent much of her time watching me and waiting for the scary event to occur. When it finally transpired, she had taken a holiday to my parents home saying, "Mom, you do not know how exhausting it is to watch you and wait for the baby. I'm going on a break!" Our oldest daughter, Keira, said she was glad we were being safe about this whole thing and Sydnie expressed how weird this idea was and she hadn't heard of anyone else doing this...complete teenage response. My mother-in-law was very nervous about this plan and a close cousin thought we might be making a possibly deadly  mistake. Otherwise, our close circle held smiles for us as and reassured us that we needed to go with our gut feeling as we closed in on our adventure.
   We had lots to do. We spent the next days gathering the needed supplies for home birthing...things like towels, Kleenex, garbage bags, hydrogen peroxide and witch hazel. We began learning all we could about what the future held for us, what wanted and needed out of this experience. During our daily walks, we would spend time wondering when this event would happen. We finally felt like we were in the lead of this experience.
   Because I was so tight, I had hard pre labor contractions that would come and go. We ended up having these for a few weeks as I did the required things to open my hips and relax my round ligaments. We owe a ton of gratitude to Clayton's boss and coworkers who were also on call for weeks as we waited for our natural childbirth to begin. Anybody out there who has done it, knows the true art of patience. Natural childbirth starts and stops to give both momma and baby the breaks they need to endure the big journey. We also are indebted to my friends and family who would text me daily so I wasn't going crazy while I basically waited for Finn to tell us when it was time. My asthma made it impossible some days to even hold a verbal conversation. I love you, my village people.
    Now onto the big event...................
   I had been coming off of a two day stretch of contractions followed by a good day of rest and awoke to a deep pressure feeling and the baby had again dropped further into placement of the birthing canal. But, we've been here before so who knew what the day held for us. The sun was shining and I was wishing I was more mobile to enjoy such days in the winter. I started the day with stretches to help me get mobile and make myself feel good. Clayton was tired...tired of this seemingly endless cycle and his baby was never going to reveal and his worst nightmare would happen of losing both momma and child.
   "Well what's going on today," he asked me. I told him I wasn't sure but I wasn't quite feeling good. He ran out to do some errands and contractions started so I put on my favorite playlist of Ed Sheeran and began dancing in the living room. While he was gone, I started getting harder ones. As soon as he opened the door, he joined me on the dance floor of our living room being my perfect and entertaining dance partner. Slow dancing to Ed Sheeran's "I See Fire" and shaking it out to "Fresh Eyes" by Andy Grammer will forever  take me back to this time. Soon Clayton again sent out the alert to his work that maybe it was happening. "Should I get a hold of Cassie (our midwife)," he asked. I thought yes we should. Before I knew it, I had gone to our room to relax and keep focused on what would be happening in the next few hours. Cassie soon appeared with her bag and a smile on her face. Our contractions were stronger requiring more focus. I used my Monet print as a focal point...it had a big letter O on it that reminded me to relax and open to bring our baby into this world. I met every contraction with the same outlook in mind and the minutes blended. All I could hear were Clayton's words of encouragements, our baby's heartbeat when Cassie would listen and make sure no emergencies were unfolding  and Cassie telling me how amazing I was doing and how strong I was. Each wave of intensity brought us closer to seeing our little one.  I could feel our baby working within my body and squirming around inside of me. I could feel the unseasonably warm breeze from our open bedroom window...that was perfect for me.
   The letter O was my focus and half way through a contraction, my bag of waters broke and the intensity shot up by 1000 percent. I remember telling them my water broke...which is laughable now because I had excess so everyone heard the big popping sound. Each high intensity wave rolled into the next without breaks. That's how my body rolls. I was on my hands and knees and then back on my side. Pushing...pushing....the urge to do such an act is overwhelming and besides a few syllables, that is all you can simply focus on. Soon I could hear Cassie and Clayton talking about seeing our baby's head....FINALLY THANK THE GODS! Clayton really cheered me on and I could hear Cassie and another voice (her assistant had arrived just in time) telling me to really push because our baby was ready to see us and reminding me of how strong I am.

   This delivery I was in every moment. Previously, I would have out of body experiences that I could describe to people it was as if I was hovering over my body. I really wanted to be present for this birth. I wanted to take it all in. Because of my body's position, I couldn't see her come into our world immediately, but within a second I saw the little body of the person I had shared a space with for 39 weeks and 4 days. I thanked Clayton who
had been my doula, my coach and I learned had been the midwife's assistant because our baby had arrived in two hours and 10 minutes from when the midwife arrived. Our active labor had rushed by and her assistant arrived about 10 minutes before Finn came into our world.

   Finn was on my chest immediately and we waited for the placenta to arrive. The placenta was placed in a bowl beside us, still nourishing Finn and Clayton took his position beside us on the bed and the visitors began packing up their things from the downstairs. I asked him questions and Clayton told me his version of the miracle that we had just been a part of. We laughed, we cried, we marveled and held this miracle that we had waited and waited to meet. After about 20 minutes, Cassie returned again to take our vitals and to help Clayton cut the cord. We stayed covered up skin to skin and took all the features of our little one in and just came into the realization of what we had done that Saturday afternoon in March.
   The assistant came in and introduced herself to me because I was completely preoccupied when she arrived. She thanked me for allowing her to be a part of our birth experience and also gave me a personal thank you. She has seven years between her children and is expecting in May. She had been second guessing if she was strong enough for this and after seeing me with a 13 year gap between our daughter Summer and Finn, she was inspired. Haha I'm glad I could give her some piece of mind. The female body is such an amazing thing.

   After more time, Cassie came back in to get my vitals and check my bleeding. It was time for Finn to be measured and weighed as well as be examined fully, receive her vitamin K shot and get the antibiotic eye cream. Still really not knowing the time, I can tell you it had become dark and I watched the city lights twinkle in my window.

   After Finn was completely examined, and I was checked again, our beloved midwife left us with instructions and went on her way. We were left in the comforts of our home surrounded by our dogs and cats and after a few hours big sisters arrived to meet their small counterpart. We ordered pizza and tried to sleep as we marveled at the miracle we had just experienced.

Blessings!

Life can be ironic

  Hey everybody!

   We are in the third trimester and it's been a while since I've posted...I was reminded by our teenager that she hasn't been able to read anything about us for a while and it was time. There has been something come up it seemingly daily and it's all we can do to just buckle down and deal.

Let me break it down for you....

Right around the beginning of December, I began cramping, spotting...for those of you that has miscarried before, I don't have to tell you how breathless that makes you feel as you try to figure out what is going on. The baby had noticeably dropped and we were in our doctor's office the very day. After being poked and prodded and questioned, it was decided that I needed to stay off my feet a little more. I had to say good-bye to my job at the brewery for a while. The spotting immediately cleared up and we adjusted to me being at home all the time. I'm quite a busy individual so it has been an adjustment! We didn't know it at the time, but I was headed into anemia, if not already there.
   As we were gearing up for the holidays ahead, my grandpa after months of being in and out of an ill state, took a turn. Thankfully, the regional  hospital is  in our neighborhood and we made frequent use of him being within five minutes of our house. He was a great spirits the last few days we saw him....little did we know our family would be assembling the following week for his bedside vigil into the next realm. We were very close with him and cleaned his house, bought his supplies and just made sure he was taken care of before we moved away from our hometown four years ago. We have so  many fond memories of that wonderful man and made great use of his time while we lived near him.

   The week of his dying ritual as the family began assembling, the weather here got extremely cold. I was in and out of the doctor's office and it was determined my troubles were a combination of being anemic and the wrathful return of my asthma. I hadn't been on an inhaler in over a decade! I had days and days of being winded crossing the room and really not being able to sleep due to feeling like I couldn't breath. Not a great time to get emotional...it was quite a balancing act to ensure my health and the health of our little one would endure. It was difficult even holding a conversation, I was so winded. I tried to comfort our daughters as much as I could and my husband did his best to convey the messages I felt were key in this situation...he had a wonderfully good life and he has been ready to move onto the next stage. There were times I couldn't even get an updated text from my family without bursting into a wet face.  A time in my life I won't soon forget. Trying to remain calm and level headed in such a sad time was so difficult...especially with pregnancy hormones raging through my system. I simply tried to focus on the positive in all around me and my little family was such a big help. Without asking, my husband's shoulder and chest were instantly there to bury my face into whenever the moment hit me...which was quite often. I'm a silent crier, so much of my cues are just simply watching---especially since I had no extra breath to tell tall tales or even convey the sorrow I was feeling.
   My family really worried about the funeral and the timing of my Grandpa's passing. Life can be quite ironic. I gave birth to our first born, Keira, the day after my other Grandpa's funeral. I had to endure his death in an extremely pregnant state. The timing is a little different here, but I will have endured my other Grandpa's death before the birth of our last child. My parents worried preterm labor was eminent. The doctors have had us in and out of their offices lots...three unscheduled appointments and probably counting! Honestly, it's a great sense of relief for us. We know our little is doing spectacular.
   Which brings me to one of the new experiences we've had....the non-stress test. This was given in our doctor's office after I had to call in because we were having too many contractions and after not sleeping in about 48 hours. They put two sensors on your belly - one on the baby's heartbeat, and one on your uterus to monitor for contractions. They also give you a little button to push whenever you feel your baby move. Our baby performed beautifully for the test. There was no stress when my contractions would come. Great news! Also my cervix hasn't changed so it was another good sign that things are going the way they need to. The only one uncomfortable in the situation was me and it turns out I had a case of the flu along with my symptoms so it was no wonder I was uncomfortable and having some preterm conditions.
   Our latest ultrasound showed the Wee Ness was roughly four pounds and one ounce last week. Each week brings us closer to getting to see our little miracle. With having to be homebound and then bed bound a few days to get on top of hydration and contractions, we already know so much about her/him. The sleep schedule is very apparent and he/she has very personal interactions with each member of our household.
Before I got really sick, I made a few items for us to put in our hospital bag...matching labor gear and a Wonder Woman nursing gown!

   Now that my anemia seems to be heading in the right direction and my asthma is controlled, I plan on having a little more energy to keep things updates on here :)
Blessings all!

My first SIGNATURE COLLECTION went live!

   Yes friends from around the globe...my art has taken on WORLDWIDE status!

My Designer Label

I have finally  hit the mainstream! It wasn't expected, I wasn't strolling down that avenue really---it just happened!!! My first official SIGNATURE COLLECTION of bags and women's accessories went live last night at around 8:00 p.m. MST. Preorder my designs and VIDA will make them!

PLEASE CHECK IT OUT HERE!
Enjoy 15% off your purchase using code Welcome15
OR
Enjoy $50 off your purchase of $250+ using code Welcome50
Expires in just 7 Days, on 12/07/16.

  
   I am beyond  thrilled ---maybe over the moon--- to share with you my latest collection on VIDA!
This collection represents some of my best artwork from over the past two years and is very authentic to who I am as an artist. I'm really proud today to share this work with you. It includes selections from my canvas artistry to my photographic elemental collection.
  I'm really excited to collaborate with VIDA for this collection. VIDA is a new kind of fashion ecommerce company that connects artists like me all over the world with producers to bring our work to life. For every product sold, VIDA hopes to provide the gift of literacy to the makers they work with. I'm very proud to be in partnership with this company! A percentage of every sale goes to an artist like myself, to the manufacturer and also to the employees in the small facilities they work with to provide the skills for them to learn to read, write and do basic math. Many of these employees are women.  To learn more about VIDA's story, click this link.

I hope this post find you and yours well as we in the Northern Hemisphere close in on the Winter Solstice bringing the promise of the light and those of you in the Southern Hemisphere with thoughts of the romantic longer evenings ahead of you.

BLESSINGS!

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!

Surprise surprise!

   It was July 5, 2016, and I decided to wake up early and secretly take my test. My period was a day late and I'm usually right on time. I hadn't noticed much different with my body besides sore breasts and I had actually felt like I would get my period and then nothing was happening. With any thyroid problems and especially with Hashimoto's it is imperative to be on top of your bloodwork. You really need to know what your numbers are before trying to conceive and although we weren't necessarily trying, in fact - we had kind of given up on the idea that we would be parents again - we weren't opposed to the idea either. We had both decided the wonderful, amazing girls we have are truly enough. That doesn't mean the rest of our people felt the same. We still heard the same verbiage of how the girls wanted a sibling, how some  wished Clayton had a biological child, despite his incredible journey he took to be allowed to adopt the girls.
   With a body like mine, you have to know almost before you miss your first period if you are pregnant because your TSH numbers can shoot through the roof before you know it. And if your numbers are too high, miscarriage is eminent. There is no amount of doctoring that can fix it. As soon as I thought I might be pregnant, I took a pregnancy  test and then doubled up my thyroid medication before we even called our OB doctor with the news. I hadn't spoken to them since I got the all clear last year ... incidentally our last miscarriage was dated July 5, 2015. When I called, I immediately recognized this wasn't my doctor's nurse from before. You build a sort of report when you go through death with someone. Everyone in the office took such great care of us and some would mutter about how brave we were or strong. They admired us. This new nurse got acquainted with my charts on the phone. "I'm going to pull up your history and ......(pauses &  it seemed to last two minutes)...." I lightened the feel and said that we did have quite a history with them. "Yes, the first thing that jumps out at me is that you've had multiple miscarriages.......(another long pause).......and now I'm wondering about your TSH numbers." With a smile on my face in the phone I announced that I have two TSH tests and other bloodwork that was done previously and results from the lab work currently  and I would immediately be bringing those results. You could hear the relief in her voice. We dropped them over immediately and later that afternoon, the nurse called with no special instructions and they said everything looked in range.
   Our first appointment is July 28 - two days after my husband's 30th birthday. What a birthday present!
We are doing all we can to ensure a safe pregnancy. I've been taking my rounds of supplements and I am in really great health. My blood pressure is excellent and my TSH is in the new guidelines which is a huge relief!
   At this time, we have decided to keep our circle very small about the news of our little one....neither one of us wants to really deal with other people's hopes and dreams right now on this reality for us. It's our journey and we are excited, scared, anxious and hopeful. We don't need to add anyone else's worries, thoughts, careless verbalizations. It doesn't help much to hear that it won't happen again, that God has plans for us or any of that kinds of nonsense. With our history and vast knowledge on a subject we wish we knew nothing about, this is pretty much a matter of science.
   Zen is the word :)