You may remember in one of my previous posts that I mentioned the herbs I am taking from my acu-p might be making me sleepy. Well, I asked him about it this week. He confirmed that that is a possible side effect. "We are trying to increase your Yin and that has to do with sleep, slowing down, resting, etc." he said. Um, Mr. Acu-p, I'm more of a Yang kind of girl. I like to be on the go, accomplish big goals and even bigger to-do lists. I'm not really into the Yin thing. If anything, I'd like to jack my Yang up even higher! Then laughs the acu-p.
I love my acu-p, he has a great since of humor and offered to decrease my dose if things don't improve. Luckily I am adjusting to my new sedated self. Some people may even find the new me enjoyable! :)
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Isn't it Incredible?
Last Friday my friend Mandy and I took our kids to see Disney on Ice. When I first heard they were coming to town I dismissed the idea of going. After all, we are saving to take Savannah to Disneyland for her 5th birthday so why waste money on a disney show when we can save the money and take her to Disney! But then I heard the storyline included The Incredibles (One of Savannah's favorite movies. She was Violet Incredible for Halloween) and they were going to Disneyland in the story. Well that's two of Savannah's favorite things colliding in our own backyard! So we bought tickets and headed out to the show.
Savannah went nuts when she saw her favorite characters in person out on the ice. She couldn't take her eyes off them! That has to be one of the most fun things for a mom to see. I loved watching her.
As the story goes, The Incredibles family goes to Disneyland and then they recreate the park's most famous rides on ice. The Jungles Cruise, Pirates of the Carrie bean, The Haunted Mansion, It's a Small World, The Tea Cups, Buzz Light Year's Space Ranger Training. and Big Thunder Mountin Railroad were all recreated before our very eyes on ice no less! The Haunted Mansion was the most impressive which is also Savannah's favorite DL ride.
The Tea Cups were not one of the more impressive recreations on ice but it was one I got a decent picture of.
Ryan was of course trying to make me laugh. When is he not?
Wall-e eyes
Mandy wants an dress like Edna Moe. I want to BE Edna Moe, dawling.
The skaters were moving so fast that I never caught them facing me. Because of the dramatic lightling it was impossible to get decent pictures of all the cool sets. Sorry, you will just have to go see the show for yourself.
Savannah was on an Incredibles high when we got homwe. After her nap she superheroed up with her incredibles costume, her new Dash cup and Elastagirl straw. I bet you can guess what movie we watched that night.
Savannah went nuts when she saw her favorite characters in person out on the ice. She couldn't take her eyes off them! That has to be one of the most fun things for a mom to see. I loved watching her.
As the story goes, The Incredibles family goes to Disneyland and then they recreate the park's most famous rides on ice. The Jungles Cruise, Pirates of the Carrie bean, The Haunted Mansion, It's a Small World, The Tea Cups, Buzz Light Year's Space Ranger Training. and Big Thunder Mountin Railroad were all recreated before our very eyes on ice no less! The Haunted Mansion was the most impressive which is also Savannah's favorite DL ride.
The Tea Cups were not one of the more impressive recreations on ice but it was one I got a decent picture of.
Ryan was of course trying to make me laugh. When is he not?
Wall-e eyes
Mandy wants an dress like Edna Moe. I want to BE Edna Moe, dawling.
The skaters were moving so fast that I never caught them facing me. Because of the dramatic lightling it was impossible to get decent pictures of all the cool sets. Sorry, you will just have to go see the show for yourself.
Savannah was on an Incredibles high when we got homwe. After her nap she superheroed up with her incredibles costume, her new Dash cup and Elastagirl straw. I bet you can guess what movie we watched that night.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
The Incubator
Early last week I went for my initial evaluation with the acupuncturist (I am already tired of typing that long word so from now on he will be refereed to as the acu-p. Sound it out, it's kind of a fun word!). He asked about my basic medical history which always includes replies like, "Oh, really?" and "Never heard of that before." and my favorite, "I'm gonna have to look a few things up first." This guy has a great since of humor though so the process was not nearly as tedious as it normally is with a new doc.
Next he began the exam by mashing on certain points all over my body and then I was to reply if they were tender or not. He however did not need my reply. Before I could even answer he would say, "That's tender isn't it?" or he would move on from a spot that was not tender before I even had the chance to reply because he already knew from what he was feeling. Pretty cool.
Our next stop on the Eastern Express was a test via a machine/computer that checked out my electrical current from multiple pressure points each indicating the condition of various organs. He explained all of this in great detail but it was like he was speaking Greek. Actually I would have preferred him use Greek or Latin, I know those root words, prefixes, and suffixes. But with the Asian languages, I am lost. Now I know what my patients feel like when I use medical terminology with them. Let's all try English please.
The end result of my tests lead him to believe (due to a previous blood clot in my brain)that my brain was not communicating well with my body. So, what are my options? Get a new body or a new brain? Cause on various days I have thought about trading one or the other in. It's really a toss up. :)
Now that we know it's not a normal hormone problem like most people struggle with (is that a good thing or a bad thing? Is that suppose to make me feel better or warn me of things to come?) we can proceed with a prescribed treatment plan.
Savannah came to my first acu-p session. In her sweetest voice she wanted to know if she asked the Dr. real nice if he would let her help put the needles in me. I have to admit this was the first and only time I was frightened! Dear, I hope not otherwise we are changing acu-ps!
Savannah was mesmerized as she watched the needles enter my body. And as they say on Curious George, she was a good little monkey. And just like on the TV show and in the books, the monkey gets curious which can lead him to not be such a good little monkey. Here I am laid out on a table with needles sticking out of me and a heating lamp over my uterus (I felt like a chicken was going to hatch in there any minute) and my 4 year old (who is usually a good little monkey mind you) is trying to grab my needles, playing with the machine that sends and reads electrical currents in your body, and literally climbing the walls. And they told me to lay here and relax for 20 minutes? That would require childcare.
By the time I got dressed and stepped out of the room, everyone in the building looked at us with a mixture of pity and amusement while stifling a laugh. I was quickly aware that for the past hour they had been listening to my frustration.
I left the building with a promise to laugh about this tomorrow and a small bottle of herbs capsuled in tiny black beads to take daily. I loved that Savannah was able to see what we Americans call "alternative medicine" (although for the rest of the world our alternatives are 1st choice and western medicine is a last resort. And aren't we only the 49th healthiest nation in the world which actually means we are extremely unhealthy??? Hold on, it will take me a minute to step off my soap box.)However, I will be attending sessions alone from now on. And the herbs? I am convinced the are just part of a conspiracy involving Mandy and Mark to slow me down because I have been napping and going to bed early since I started taking them. I'm on to you two! How much did you have to bribe my acu-p to get him to sedate me?
Next he began the exam by mashing on certain points all over my body and then I was to reply if they were tender or not. He however did not need my reply. Before I could even answer he would say, "That's tender isn't it?" or he would move on from a spot that was not tender before I even had the chance to reply because he already knew from what he was feeling. Pretty cool.
Our next stop on the Eastern Express was a test via a machine/computer that checked out my electrical current from multiple pressure points each indicating the condition of various organs. He explained all of this in great detail but it was like he was speaking Greek. Actually I would have preferred him use Greek or Latin, I know those root words, prefixes, and suffixes. But with the Asian languages, I am lost. Now I know what my patients feel like when I use medical terminology with them. Let's all try English please.
The end result of my tests lead him to believe (due to a previous blood clot in my brain)that my brain was not communicating well with my body. So, what are my options? Get a new body or a new brain? Cause on various days I have thought about trading one or the other in. It's really a toss up. :)
Now that we know it's not a normal hormone problem like most people struggle with (is that a good thing or a bad thing? Is that suppose to make me feel better or warn me of things to come?) we can proceed with a prescribed treatment plan.
Savannah came to my first acu-p session. In her sweetest voice she wanted to know if she asked the Dr. real nice if he would let her help put the needles in me. I have to admit this was the first and only time I was frightened! Dear, I hope not otherwise we are changing acu-ps!
Savannah was mesmerized as she watched the needles enter my body. And as they say on Curious George, she was a good little monkey. And just like on the TV show and in the books, the monkey gets curious which can lead him to not be such a good little monkey. Here I am laid out on a table with needles sticking out of me and a heating lamp over my uterus (I felt like a chicken was going to hatch in there any minute) and my 4 year old (who is usually a good little monkey mind you) is trying to grab my needles, playing with the machine that sends and reads electrical currents in your body, and literally climbing the walls. And they told me to lay here and relax for 20 minutes? That would require childcare.
By the time I got dressed and stepped out of the room, everyone in the building looked at us with a mixture of pity and amusement while stifling a laugh. I was quickly aware that for the past hour they had been listening to my frustration.
I left the building with a promise to laugh about this tomorrow and a small bottle of herbs capsuled in tiny black beads to take daily. I loved that Savannah was able to see what we Americans call "alternative medicine" (although for the rest of the world our alternatives are 1st choice and western medicine is a last resort. And aren't we only the 49th healthiest nation in the world which actually means we are extremely unhealthy??? Hold on, it will take me a minute to step off my soap box.)However, I will be attending sessions alone from now on. And the herbs? I am convinced the are just part of a conspiracy involving Mandy and Mark to slow me down because I have been napping and going to bed early since I started taking them. I'm on to you two! How much did you have to bribe my acu-p to get him to sedate me?
Monday, April 27, 2009
And So It Begins
Warning: Not everyone may want to read this. There's shouldn't be anything offensive, it's just personal and frankly, you may just not want to know this much about me! :)
Mark and I decided a little over a year ago that we were ready for another child. But it did not happen the first month. Having the patience of a newborn baby myself combined with the history of getting pregnant on demand the first time around, I decided that clearly we were not intended to get pregnant and we should adopt. Yup, I decided that when we did not get pregnant the first month of trying. I have felt called to adopt for as long as I can remember so I think I was kind of relieved when we did not get pregnant. It was like I had received the green light from God to go ahead with adoption. But Mark was not getting the signal. Again and again I heard the message that God will put it on both of our hearts if it is to be. It is something that only God can make happen. Eventually I realized that God put that burden on my heart for many reasons but He was not leading us to adopt at this time.
But, most of our time spent "trying" to get pregnant has mostly been time I spent trying to talk Mark into adoption (maybe it's been a mind-over-body thing and that's why I have not gotten pregnant). We haven't really "tried" anything. I haven't taken my temperature or had my hormones tested. I did buy and ovulation kit 1 time and decided it was the equivalent of peeing on a ouija board (and I don't believe in ouija boards so you can imagine how useless that was).
To put this in prospective, when we tried for Savannah we implemented every fertility strategy from the get go. My goal was to be proactive and not "try" for a year before I do research. When I have a goal I go for it 110%. And we did get pregnant on demand. However, I think it had more to do with God setting the stage for future lessons than my effort.
I don't know where my determination went this time around. We haven't really tried the past few months because I was in the middle of marathon training. But a couple of days after it was over I said, "Weren't we going to try to get pregnant?" And off to the acupuncturist I went.
Why the acupuncturist you may ask? My sister struggled with infertility for years and was told she would never have children. After 2 months under the acupuncturists care she was with child. And now she is pregnant for the 3rd time in 3 years. What her acupuncturist failed to do was make a return appointment to have her flow of chi turned back down! She just can't stop those little surprises from coming these days. Just kidding, I'm sure after this 3rd she still has a couple of cute kiddos left in her. My mom sees an acupuncturist as well for general health. And so, coming from an all-natural-granola-munching family, my first thought was to turn to eastern medicine.
Maybe I am really ready for Peteet #2 now because I have to tell you, I am excited about this!
Up next...my first appointment.
Mark and I decided a little over a year ago that we were ready for another child. But it did not happen the first month. Having the patience of a newborn baby myself combined with the history of getting pregnant on demand the first time around, I decided that clearly we were not intended to get pregnant and we should adopt. Yup, I decided that when we did not get pregnant the first month of trying. I have felt called to adopt for as long as I can remember so I think I was kind of relieved when we did not get pregnant. It was like I had received the green light from God to go ahead with adoption. But Mark was not getting the signal. Again and again I heard the message that God will put it on both of our hearts if it is to be. It is something that only God can make happen. Eventually I realized that God put that burden on my heart for many reasons but He was not leading us to adopt at this time.
But, most of our time spent "trying" to get pregnant has mostly been time I spent trying to talk Mark into adoption (maybe it's been a mind-over-body thing and that's why I have not gotten pregnant). We haven't really "tried" anything. I haven't taken my temperature or had my hormones tested. I did buy and ovulation kit 1 time and decided it was the equivalent of peeing on a ouija board (and I don't believe in ouija boards so you can imagine how useless that was).
To put this in prospective, when we tried for Savannah we implemented every fertility strategy from the get go. My goal was to be proactive and not "try" for a year before I do research. When I have a goal I go for it 110%. And we did get pregnant on demand. However, I think it had more to do with God setting the stage for future lessons than my effort.
I don't know where my determination went this time around. We haven't really tried the past few months because I was in the middle of marathon training. But a couple of days after it was over I said, "Weren't we going to try to get pregnant?" And off to the acupuncturist I went.
Why the acupuncturist you may ask? My sister struggled with infertility for years and was told she would never have children. After 2 months under the acupuncturists care she was with child. And now she is pregnant for the 3rd time in 3 years. What her acupuncturist failed to do was make a return appointment to have her flow of chi turned back down! She just can't stop those little surprises from coming these days. Just kidding, I'm sure after this 3rd she still has a couple of cute kiddos left in her. My mom sees an acupuncturist as well for general health. And so, coming from an all-natural-granola-munching family, my first thought was to turn to eastern medicine.
Maybe I am really ready for Peteet #2 now because I have to tell you, I am excited about this!
Up next...my first appointment.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Journey East With Me
The other night I heard a women (I will not mention her name since her story is not my story to tell) give her testimony at a MOPs event. She spoke about the struggle she has endured with comparing herself to other mothers (is there anyone out there who has not done this? Seriously, if they haven't they need to be giving seminars to the rest of us or something. I hate that this person thought they were all alone in this.) During her testimony, when she mentioned comparing not only did she make purposeful eye contact with me but she mentioned a few of my traits and said my name.
As Uncle Allen would say, "Uh wait a minute, hold the phone." Clearly I have misrepresented myself if I am perceived as one to be compared to. My ego was shot as I realized I might not be as humble as I so proudly thought I was (how do you like that for irony?).
The complete picture became clearer as I remembered a conversation Mandy and I had a month or two ago. As a very private person I vulnerably opened up and confessed to her that I sort of have some perfection issues. To my surprise, she was not surprised. Mandy replied ever so sarcastically, "ya think?" Apparently I had not hidden my secret as well as I thought.
Ouch.
All that to say, to progress with God, to progress with my friends, and to be an honest person, I must open up. Now this is tricky because I am sealed pretty tight! And I don't hold back for the purpose of misleading others to think I am better than I am. I just don't won't to bother them. Somewhere in my past I designated myself "cheerleader." And as an encourager, why would I moan, groan, and whine about anything personal? That's not uplifting and encouraging to others (or is it?)! I'd rather be a listening ear for you and keep my own mouth shut.
You may be wondering how this fits into my title of journeying east. Well, I am going to an acupuncturist to help me get pregnant. And, I plan to record my journey through eastern medicine right here on the blog. Never before I have been so open about a short coming of myself (meaning the fact that I have not gotten pregnant on demand as I did with Savannah). But, I know a few people who have toyed with the idea of acupuncture so maybe this will help someone else. Whether the acupuncture works or not, I know this journey will help me. And I know my Mom will be happy I am no longer just blogging about the weather "outside my window..." ;) (Simple Woman's Daybook people, defend me here!)
So, I come before you humbly with my story... but if I get any pity comments so help me I will shut this rig down! :)
As Uncle Allen would say, "Uh wait a minute, hold the phone." Clearly I have misrepresented myself if I am perceived as one to be compared to. My ego was shot as I realized I might not be as humble as I so proudly thought I was (how do you like that for irony?).
The complete picture became clearer as I remembered a conversation Mandy and I had a month or two ago. As a very private person I vulnerably opened up and confessed to her that I sort of have some perfection issues. To my surprise, she was not surprised. Mandy replied ever so sarcastically, "ya think?" Apparently I had not hidden my secret as well as I thought.
Ouch.
All that to say, to progress with God, to progress with my friends, and to be an honest person, I must open up. Now this is tricky because I am sealed pretty tight! And I don't hold back for the purpose of misleading others to think I am better than I am. I just don't won't to bother them. Somewhere in my past I designated myself "cheerleader." And as an encourager, why would I moan, groan, and whine about anything personal? That's not uplifting and encouraging to others (or is it?)! I'd rather be a listening ear for you and keep my own mouth shut.
You may be wondering how this fits into my title of journeying east. Well, I am going to an acupuncturist to help me get pregnant. And, I plan to record my journey through eastern medicine right here on the blog. Never before I have been so open about a short coming of myself (meaning the fact that I have not gotten pregnant on demand as I did with Savannah). But, I know a few people who have toyed with the idea of acupuncture so maybe this will help someone else. Whether the acupuncture works or not, I know this journey will help me. And I know my Mom will be happy I am no longer just blogging about the weather "outside my window..." ;) (Simple Woman's Daybook people, defend me here!)
So, I come before you humbly with my story... but if I get any pity comments so help me I will shut this rig down! :)
Friday, April 24, 2009
Return to Adolescence
This week I tackled my monthly job of preparing the budget for the next month. Since I am not a fan of numbers in general this is never my favorite task. However I am a fan of money so I endure.
But this week I was burned out. We have been on the Dave Ramsey plan since last fall. We have everything paid off except for our house and Mark's car which we are trying to sell since he has a company car. No more car payments or student loans! Yippee! Right?
The goal of all this hard work was to have more of our income available for wealth building and fun stuff instead of paying off dept. Mark and I were even considering booking a trip to Hawaii (which is now 1/2 the price it normally is due to the economy). I was actually looking forward to preparing this month's budget because there should be so much extra money to play with...or so I thought.
As I looked at the numbers I had to add them twice. There were several things that came up that needed our surplus income. It was all eaten up. Add to that the fact that the orthodontist said I needed braces! Braces? Me? I barely survived that the first time around (Kathy, you are so much braver than me!). Now I have to pay for such embarrassment? How much did you say they cost? Wow!
I felt defeated. All my budgeting and hard work seemed to be getting me no where.
Mark and I discussed the budget I had prepared and he said, "looks good." That's it? Are you not more disappointed? He reminded me that the plan is working. All these things that came up we were able to pay cash for because we had the money available since we are no longer paying things off.
My reply, "Yeah but, I want to go to Hawaii not get braces!" which is the equivilent of a three year old stomping her foot and pouting. Yes, I had returned to adolescence. Not because of the braces but because the definition of maturity is knowing what you want and refraining from throwing your body on the floor in a tantrum until you get it!
I prayed about it (as I have several times) asking God to be in our finances. Wanting to be a good steward of our resources I prayed for wisdom, patience, and for God to make ends meet and provide the rest.
I kept the appointment with the orthodontist (we are doing the invisiline trays instead of the lovely metal wires) and I kissed my Hawaii trip good-bye for now. After all that I went to the mailbox and low and behold, there was a check! A refund from Savannah's eye surgery almost 2 years ago! I called to be sure it was not a mistake.
Did God rewarded my obedience (why am I not obedient more often?)? I believe so. Although it was a large check, it did not cover the cost of Hawaii. But is was capable of covering the one thing that needed to be done that we could not fit into the budget. This check is paying for a journey that I plan to document here on my blog in the near future.
Stay tuned...
But this week I was burned out. We have been on the Dave Ramsey plan since last fall. We have everything paid off except for our house and Mark's car which we are trying to sell since he has a company car. No more car payments or student loans! Yippee! Right?
The goal of all this hard work was to have more of our income available for wealth building and fun stuff instead of paying off dept. Mark and I were even considering booking a trip to Hawaii (which is now 1/2 the price it normally is due to the economy). I was actually looking forward to preparing this month's budget because there should be so much extra money to play with...or so I thought.
As I looked at the numbers I had to add them twice. There were several things that came up that needed our surplus income. It was all eaten up. Add to that the fact that the orthodontist said I needed braces! Braces? Me? I barely survived that the first time around (Kathy, you are so much braver than me!). Now I have to pay for such embarrassment? How much did you say they cost? Wow!
I felt defeated. All my budgeting and hard work seemed to be getting me no where.
Mark and I discussed the budget I had prepared and he said, "looks good." That's it? Are you not more disappointed? He reminded me that the plan is working. All these things that came up we were able to pay cash for because we had the money available since we are no longer paying things off.
My reply, "Yeah but, I want to go to Hawaii not get braces!" which is the equivilent of a three year old stomping her foot and pouting. Yes, I had returned to adolescence. Not because of the braces but because the definition of maturity is knowing what you want and refraining from throwing your body on the floor in a tantrum until you get it!
I prayed about it (as I have several times) asking God to be in our finances. Wanting to be a good steward of our resources I prayed for wisdom, patience, and for God to make ends meet and provide the rest.
I kept the appointment with the orthodontist (we are doing the invisiline trays instead of the lovely metal wires) and I kissed my Hawaii trip good-bye for now. After all that I went to the mailbox and low and behold, there was a check! A refund from Savannah's eye surgery almost 2 years ago! I called to be sure it was not a mistake.
Did God rewarded my obedience (why am I not obedient more often?)? I believe so. Although it was a large check, it did not cover the cost of Hawaii. But is was capable of covering the one thing that needed to be done that we could not fit into the budget. This check is paying for a journey that I plan to document here on my blog in the near future.
Stay tuned...
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Open Wide!
Megan reminded me that I never posted an update on Savannah's first dentist appointment.
Katy let us borrow 2 books that helped immensely. They were, The Bernstein Bears Go to the Dentist and Going to the Dentist by Mercer Meyer. Savannah devoured them! We read them over and over again all the while answering numerous questions about pain, equipment, and post-appointment treats.
The night before the big appointment we prayed that God would calm her fears and give her courage.
The next day she walked into the dentist office apprehensively and then waltzed out afterwards as if she had just left a glorious party. She had a blast!
That night as we prayed again we thanked God for answering our prayer for courage. Savannah's eyes lit up as she realized God had answered her very own sweet little prayer. She gasped and said, "Momma, God gave me the power to do that!" It was her own divine revelation.
Who knew that God could even make going to the dentist a beautiful thing???
Katy let us borrow 2 books that helped immensely. They were, The Bernstein Bears Go to the Dentist and Going to the Dentist by Mercer Meyer. Savannah devoured them! We read them over and over again all the while answering numerous questions about pain, equipment, and post-appointment treats.
The night before the big appointment we prayed that God would calm her fears and give her courage.
The next day she walked into the dentist office apprehensively and then waltzed out afterwards as if she had just left a glorious party. She had a blast!
That night as we prayed again we thanked God for answering our prayer for courage. Savannah's eyes lit up as she realized God had answered her very own sweet little prayer. She gasped and said, "Momma, God gave me the power to do that!" It was her own divine revelation.
Who knew that God could even make going to the dentist a beautiful thing???
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