The Day a 3lb Bag of Spaghetti Noodles Felt Like a Ton of Bricks

I already knew I had a problem. I had been steadily losing weight without trying ever since my 10 month old baby was born, even though I was eating constantly. I was chronically fatigued (much more than the normal “I have three little boys to chase after” kind of tired), I felt sick after almost every meal I ate, I had sugar and carb cravings like crazy, migraines, imbalance issues, insomnia while at the same time never feeling rested no matter how much I slept, and fifty bazillion other health concerns. Like major memory problems. Like, I seriously could not remember my youngest child’s name for a couple of minutes kind of memory problems. But the worst part was that I had suddenly developed severe food allergies to things I have eaten all of my life. I could no longer eat mushrooms. I could no longer kiss my husband after he had eaten mushrooms. I was developing reactions so quickly to so many different foods that I was terrified to eat anything for fear of my throat closing up.

Several friends told me that the symptoms I was experiencing sounded a lot like gluten intolerance, so I tried going gluten-free. And I felt better. Sort of. Two weeks of gluten-free eating and I was much less foggy-brained. I woke up feeling rested for the first time in forever. I actually had energy. I could eat without feeling sick. But, I was also in intense pain. My whole body ached severely like I had the flu. I did some googling and read that sometimes you can feel like that for a few days or even a week after starting a gluten-free diet. But this was more than a few days. And although I had more energy, I was simultaneously extremely weak.

Moving On

On November 13^th my husband got a job offer from a church in Michigan. We have been praying about this job for a couple of months now and really feel it is where we can best serve the Lord and build up our brethren. We are SO excited about our move! My husband has been itching to preach again and we cannot wait to begin working alongside each other for Christ!

We leave in just two weeks! AAAaahh! So much to do and so little time! In the midst of all this crazy, whirlwind packing, I know it will be easy to let a few things slip. When I start a project (such as packing) I tend to want to work incessantly until it’s done. This means I will often even forget to stop and eat. Not good for a mama of two nursing babies! So, in an effort to maintain my health and sanity during this crazy time, here’s what I plan to do:

·         Keep up daily Bible study, preferably first thing in the morning. This is of primary importance to both my physical and mental health. It keeps the stress down. Days that start with my Bible and prayer are just better!

·         Drink Water! My goal is 96 fl oz a day.

·         Eat SOMETHING every three hours. I need to keep my metabolism revved, but more importantly, I need the energy to keep up my milk supply.

·         Rest every couple of hours. A fifteen minute break for tea, Facebook, crocheting, or anything else that is relaxing does wonders!

·         Spend some down time with the family, even in the midst of packing tape strewn across the floor, dishes piling in the sink, and boxes towering in the living room. Taking time to relax with my husband and boys is important and finding time to play around the boxes and clutter (or sometimes IN the boxes J) keeps things in perspective.

·         Take time to enjoy some “lasts”. I intend to cherish these last days with good friends and not rush through each moment in an effort to “get it all done”. We’re taking time to do things we enjoy here, like grabbing a milk shake from our favorite diner, taking a walk down the road where Joshua proposed, playing cards with friends one last time. We really will miss this town and the people who make it so special.

This is a season of looking forward to our new life in but also of looking back on our years here in our first home. This is where we started our courtship, where Joshua proposed, where we got married, where we made our first home together, where I was baptized, where both our boys were born. We have a lot of history in this town, and moving on is bittersweet. God has truly proved His love and care for us here in Arkansas and we are humbled at all of the blessings He has bestowed. We hope we have been useful servants for Him here, and we pray that He will use us for His glory in Michigan!

I'm Behind... Naturally...

I broke my promise last week and did not write a blog post as intended. I have a good excuse this time, though. My children have had colds for about two weeks now and Amos was especially sick this last week.

Amos had the croup two weeks ago and hasn’t been able to completely shake the cough. Thursday he came down with a fever and his breathing got really rough. I actually called my husband home from work because it had me so concerned. We gave him some Hyland’s cough syrup and by morning he seemed to be fine, though still congested. Then it got really bad again Friday night and I thought we might have to take him to the hospital, but by 4:00am he was breathing easier and was able to rest well. Saturday we had his lungs checked to make sure he didn’t have pneumonia, and they were clear. His fever broke yesterday evening but we stayed home from church this morning just to be sure. He was well enough today that we were all able to attend evening services. Amos and Joel both still have some congestion and a cough, but they finally seem to be on the mend.

My husband and I are some of those “all-natural” weirdoes. (I woke up one day recently and realized that I am one of those women I used to make fun of – I’m officially a “Crunchy Mama”! AAaaHHhhhh!). We like to avoid the use of drugs and chemicals and we stick to feeding our children food that has not been genetically altered. But that’s just us. However, this latest episode of illness has made me realize how little I know about naturally caring for my sick babies.

I’ve done a [very] little bit of reading on homeopathy and we have a small selection of remedies that I have used with some success. My mother-in-law knows a TON about it and we call her up nearly every time one of our young’uns is sick to ask which remedy we should administer. But the last few horrible nights of listening to poor Amos struggle to breathe through all his congestion has made me realize that, not only do I need to stock my cabinet with a better selection of remedies, I need to study the concept of homeopathy a good bit more. So, yesterday I ordered about seven different remedies, and today my husband has been researching the best homeopathic resource books to buy. Hopefully we can brush up on our medical knowledge and be better prepared next time a health crisis occurs.

Some things I learned through this bout of sickness:

·         Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! I didn’t realize at first that Amos wasn’t drinking enough and was in danger of dehydration. He didn’t want to drink water, but we were able to get fluids in him by offering ice chips.

·         Hyland’s 4Kids Cold ‘n Cough Nighttime natural cough syrup is good stuff. We were able to pick it up for a reasonable price at Walmart. We also got Hyland’s Baby Cough Syrup for Joel. Both helped tremendously.

·         The homeopathic remedy aconite is great for the croup.

·         Little Remedies For Noses sterile saline nasal mist was helpful to flush Amos’ sinuses.

·         1 TBS ginger mixed with petroleum jelly and rubbed on baby’s chest helps clear congestion in the chest. Amos was breathing so much easier within fifteen minutes of applying the mixture.

·         Lavender oil diluted in water and rubbed on the chest also helps make it easier to breathe. Tei Fu oil is another good oil to have on hand for this. (I’d love to learn more about the use of essential oils).

·         Steamy shower rooms and a good humidifier are invaluable! Unfortunately, a goof humidifier we have not. But ours did help a little.

·         Prayer is the most powerful remedy of all.