Face of a Miracle

Our thirty-four week growth ultrasound went so great yesterday! BG is right on track, ahead even, with arms and legs measuring 35 weeks (she's definitely got my long limbs!) and a rather large head measuring at 36 weeks :) (Two smart parent brains make an even bigger baby brain, we figure!)
She is over five pounds now, and all looks good. Continuing to defy those "transplant recipient baby" stats... yeah God!!

My doctor surprised us by doing at least five different 3D face shots during our ultrasound yesterday. Here is the best shot we got, the face of our precious miracle:

I can't wait to hold my baby girl!

Healthy Choices for Baby

I am now 25 weeks pregnant, and I couldn't be more grateful for that. Baby V is moving all around in my tummy, and I can feel her every day now. I can feel her punching, kicking, and doing somersaults, but they are gentle and still somewhat muffled because of the anterior (front) position of the placenta. Our next OB check with my perinatologist is in a week, and we have another detailed growth ultrasound scheduled. I'm looking forward to seeing how much she has developed and grown since the last one at 18 weeks!

Judging by my growing baby bump belly and her activity in there, she is thriving. I pray for her every day, that she'll be healthy and not ever have any of the health problems I've had to deal with. God is in charge of her physical development, and we trust Him to take care of her. Meanwhile, Hubs and I have been discussing the healthy choices we want for our family, so we can give her every advantage from an environmental aspect. I thought I'd share them here with you all.

Before I share my big three, tell me: Do you do any of these things for your family? Do you have any other ideas to add?

Decision 1:

We are going to use cloth diapers and cloth baby wipes with our own cleaning solution, so we have control over the chemicals (or rather, so we can avoid the chemicals) that will be touching our baby's skin every day. Before we were even halfway through this pregnancy, Hubs and I read enough about the [toxic] chemicals in disposables (Dioxin, TBT, SAP) to commit to cloth without looking back.
Plus, the environmental bonus feels good. We won't be contributing to the huge mountains of little "poop bombs" sitting across our country in landfills. Did you know that disposable diapers take 500 years to break down? Yikes! Do you think that at some point our communities need to come together and address the fact that our landfills aren't bottomless pits? Human waste belongs in the sewer where it can go through the proper treatment, not the ground where it can get into our water supply.
Moving on though :) As a one-income household, the financial bonus of using cloth is huge! We'll save thousands of dollars not buying diapers and wipes monthly for those first few years. Plus, we'll be able to keep our small garbage can with the city disposal service. (We pay $25 a month now, and it would cost around $50 a month for the larger can to fit all the disposables in each week - that's a 100% cost increase!) And maybe the best bonus of all: no diaper-stinky garbage cans in the house ;)

Decision 2:

We've decided we'll make our own baby food. It really couldn't be easier to do, and very economical because we'll just be pureeing and cooking the veggies and fruits we buy for ourselves. It won't really be a chore, because I enjoy working with food and cooking. I expect it to be a fun activity, and it will feel GREAT to know what goes in Baby's food - no preservatives or pesticides, or packaging chemicals like BPA. And again, as a one-income family it's a smart and simple money-saving choice for us.

Decision 3:
Of these three decisions, this one is most important to me. My greatest goal as a new mom is to breastfeed my baby. The many benefits, from financial (it's free!) to convenience on the go (no bottles or formula mix or water needed!) are obvious, and then the health benefits for Baby. With all of the auto-immune and inflammatory conditions my body struggles with, I am always interested in research and information about them. Did you know breastmilk can prevent a multitude of diseases, including Ulcerative Colitis (I have that), asthma (and that), allergies (those too), arthritis (yep, got it). I'm committed to do whatever it takes to make breastfeeding work!
Part of why it is so important to me is because I was 100% formula fed as a baby, because I was adopted. From the age of ten onward, I've developed one auto-immune disease after another. I can't deny that there seems to be a connection between being formula fed, and my current state of health. So, I've made one single goal for the first month post-partum, and that is to start a successful routine of exclusively breastfeeding my baby. I am going to structure those first few weeks around this one goal.
I'm going to ignore housework, take every opportunity to rest and relax, ask for and welcome help - whatever I can do to succeed at this. It means a LOT to me to try to reach this goal, because I want to give our little one the best advantage I can in case the genes passed on from me are anything but good ones. I am even planning to have a lactation consultant come to our home to work with us if need be.
I know that there are sometimes medical reasons for having to use formula, and we will cross that bridge if we have to. But having this goal in mind and setting us up for success is the best way I can make it happen!




I've been doing a lot of reading, and thinking, and talking with tons of mothers throughout my pregnancy, and I've come to the conclusion that many women do not make informed choices about their labor, delivery, and motherhood. And that's a shame. It's largely a cultural failure I think, because we aren't told the whole story or given options. But I think that as parents we need to know the whole story and be able to make our own informed choices. We need to be empowered with information, and know we're not at the mercy of any (well-meaning but uninformed) doctor, nurse, neighbor or even baby-gadget salesperson. We're going to be parents, and now is the time to ask questions and make decisions for our families with sound reasons behind them.

So get out there, moms and dads, and ask questions, learn, get support, and be confident in your choices! All you can do is give your best, with what you have, where you are. If you're doing that, you should be proud - you are a great parent :)

Hot Dog for Breakfast...

I had to laugh at myself this morning, and simply say, "Well, if we didn't know I was pregnant before, this would give it away!"

Our appointment was earlier than usual, and mornings are tough for me lately - I can't eat enough to fill my finicky stomach! We left the clinic and I realized I needed something to stave off nausea. We happened to be driving past a Sonic and I said, "Oooh, a cranberry limeade would really hit the spot right now!" So we pulled in to get one, and Hubs suggested I get some food with it (always a good idea lately). Sonic is NOT a food-allergy-friendly place, but in moments like this I have to throw restrictions to the wind. I had seen a TV commercial last night for their new all-beef hot dogs, and I had made a mental note that they sounded kind of good... in a kind of gross way. Well, at 10:30 this morning I had my cranberry limeade, and ate Chicago Style hot dog, complete with pickle, yellow mustard, and spicy peppers.
Wow, I'm definitely pregnant. :)

Go-To Foods for Pregnancy with Food Allergies

I had a wonderful few weeks toward the end of my first trimester where my food allergies nearly disappeared. No hives, coughing, itching, swollen extremeties, anxiety or brain fog. Wonderful! The hiatus allowed me to eat regular crackers when feeling sick, and a cheeseburger when I needed a protein boost. I even indulged in a donut one morning - it was amazing! But it proved to be a temporary thing. Almost to the day of the start of my second trimester, the allergies returned, and I was back wondering what in the world to eat with no energy to cook, nausea at frequent intervals, and almost no appetite for regular meals. I have not mastered this challenge at all, but I do have some go-to snacks and easy to prepare items that make things easier. So I decided to put together a little post to share.

I have a small list of favorite snacks, all free of at least wheat and dairy of course, that you can put in your purse on the go and pop in your mouth when nausea hits:

Stretch Island Fruit Leathers! Delicious, no added sugar, and you get 1/2 a serving of fruit in each one. You can buy them in a big variety box at Costco which will last a month or more.

Nature's Path EnviroKidz Lemur Bars. These were a staple for me in my first three months; I kept at least three in my purse at all times. They are like a granola bar made with rice cereal, nuts, and a drizzle of chocolate. They come in a little mini size, perfect for traveling with. I found them at Grocery Outlet of all places, $2.99 for a bag that lasted me three weeks or more.

Sensible Portions Veggie Crisps. These are also found in a large bag at Costco, and last over a month once opened, without getting stale! They are flavored with potato, spinach, and carrot, and really very good. A light crispy snack when you need something in your tummy but not too much. (They are smooth chips in a green bag at Costco, but this was the only photo I could find. You get the idea.)

As far as some easy, quick meals go:

Breakfast

I have Honeysuckle White Turkey Breakfast Sausage links quite a bit. Great source of protein and completely GF. Found at Winco Foods for under $3 a package. Buy two, freeze one and make the other last all week.

Mom's Best Better Oats instant oatmeal does not have junk ingredients in it, and comes in a cute little box of five for around $1! I like the Maple & Brown Sugar and the Apples & Cinnamon best. But it must be noted, if I weren't allergic to dairy I'd be eating Strawberries & Cream, nonstop.

Lunch/Dinner
For an easy dinner, grab a jar of healthy spaghetti sauce (make sure it has no HFCS, MSG, or other ickies), and try one of these GF pastas. Yummy, fast and simple:

It can be difficult to enjoy pasta whle on a GF diet if you haven't found anything but plain old, sticky rice pasta. Check out Mrs. Leeper's Corn Pasta - you won't be sorry! The Spaghetti cooks up a beautiful golden color, not sticky at all, and tastes great. My favorite part is it's not starchy like rice, so the pot doesn't overflow if you neglect it or forget to stir it while cooking. It's made in Italy - you just can't go wrong with that. And if you like a chilled pasta salad, get Mrs. Leeper's Vegetable Radiatore and go for it. You can't even tell it's not "regular" pasta. I will post my family recipe for pasta salad some day, it is delicious. *This is a pricier pasta, though really it's worth it for an occasional dinner.

For a more affordable but still delicious GF pasta (NOT made of rice), check out Heartland's GF Spaghetti, Fusill, and Penne, found at Walmart. I know, not a favorite store for most people. Their selection and service always leave something to be desired. But this pasta is delicious and only about $2 per package, so bite the bullet, maybe find a Walmart with a self-check out lane, and stock up! Also made in Italy (and you can tell), it's a corn/potato flour combination. REALLY, really good. My husband always says he can't tell the difference between this and "regular" pasta.

Add in fresh strawberries, cantaloupe, bananas and green grapes; canned green beans; Udi's GFCFSF breads when we have splurge money... and you've got my diet in a nutshell. Oh yes, and must have sparkling water and 100% cranberry grape juice on hand for when nothing but some carbonation will help. Not very varied or as healthy as I normally eat, but I'm avoiding allergens, staving off nausea, and not starving. This is as "winning" as I can get right now! :)

Took a Peek at the Carseat

I was looking for something fun and spontaneous to do last night (at home), and I asked Hubs if we could open the huge box containing Baby's travel system. A family friend had it shipped to us several weeks ago, and it was a fun surprise! We have the box sitting right in our living room staring at us every day, and I wanted to see what it was like beyond the photos on the box! So Hubs unpacked the car seat and stroller, and we played around with the latches, buckles, snaps and buttons figuring out how to use them. The fabric is really cute brown and bright lime green, and you can tell it's super easy to keep clean. The carseat is LIGHT, compact, and perfect for a smallish mom like me to carry. Here's a photo of me with the carseat - I was practicing :)

Sadly, we had to put it all back in the box for now. But I'm glad we got it unpacked and out of the stinky plastic bags. Hopefully in about two months Baby's room will be done and we can start putting his/her things in there. Fun!

Our Baby Victory

Hubs and I decided on the name for our future baby girl over a year ago. It didn't matter so much that we don't know if we'll ever have a baby girl. It mattered that, if we are given a daughter, her name will be Victory. This name means so much to both of us, and represents the journey we've walked out and all the things God has done to make this miracle happen. I am a liver transplant recipient, with active ulcerative colitis, food allergies, suspected Celiac disease, inflammatory arthritis, as well as near-constant anemia (translation: six separate issues that can cause infertility and pregnancy complications). And I am four months pregnant with a healthy baby.

The fact that I am pregnant and expecting a healthy baby is a miracle, and a great personal victory. It is a testimony of God moving on our behalf. There is no way that I can describe it to anyone to fully convey how important this word and this name is to us. Maybe just a few close friends understand. God has done so much for us in the past year and even in these first few months of 2011, and we are so grateful!

You must understand that I am very into names, I always have been. So if my whole process seems over the top to you, that's fine. Choosing a name is a BIG deal, in my opinion. A name gives a person an identity, an idea of the feelings that their parents held surrounding their existence, and even a vision for their life. Here are a few verses I've sought out to represent how we feel about our little Victory on the way. If we are right and this baby is a little daughter, we will share these scriptures with her as she grows up, teaching her the meaning of her name and always reminding her that she is a miracle that God purposed to live!

For the Lord your God is going with you! He will fight for you against your enemies [UC, anemia, Celiac, allergies, etc?!] and He will give you {Victory}! Deuteronomy 20:4

How the king rejoices in your strength, O Lord! He shouts with joy because you give him {Victory}. Psalm 21:1

They did not conquer the land with their swords; it was not their own strong arm that gave them {Victory}. It was your right hand and strong arm and the blinding light from your face that helped them, for you loved them. Psalm 44:3

I wait quietly before God, for my {Victory} comes from him. Psalm 62:1

The Lord is my strength and my song; he has given me {Victory}. Psalm 118:14

I thank you for answering my prayer and giving me {Victory}! Psalm 118:21

Expecting...

...a baby.

:)

This has been Hubs' and my big secret for two months, and it's time to spill the beans! We wanted to wait until we were out of the first trimester, as the risk of losing the pregnancy drops considerably. We didn't even tell our family until a few days ago, because we didn't want to announce it early and then have to share less happy news down the road (been there, done that - makes that sad time even worse!).
My pregnancy is "high risk," and we walked through the first trimester without any expectations. But we've had three ultrasounds so far, and all that is visible is a healthy, developing baby with no abnormalities and a very strong heartbeat! God continues to amaze us as he lets me defy the odds and statistics that attempt to put me and my health history in a box. We will praise Him, no matter what the outcome. But I am so thankful for encouraging reports at each appointment thus far! The best is yet to come!