Summer Preschool Days

This week I have started re-organizing our homeschool/preschool plan (and consequently our whole household organization, you know how these things go). From what I have read it will always be a work in progress. That is OK.

Summer is here and for various reasons I have not gotten as much of my act together as I would like. I am practicing forgiveness for myself because of all of the life changes we have been through lately. Along with planning summer activities and projects, we are still unpacking and organizing our small space. It has been an AMAZING, unexpected blessing to have to downsize our stuff.

Last week we re-started potty training and in 2 days Blueberry was trained. We had tried last year (and struggled a lot and I could tell she did not have any awareness of her bladder though she has been "going #2" in the potty since then), then we tried again after the move, but it didn't go well. What changed is that she 1) was just now able to undress and dress herself and 2) she started to become aware of how the increasing spring/summer temperatures were making her pull-ups very uncomfortable. I talked with her about it and she decided she was ready. In over a week she has only had two "accidents" and one was because we were out and couldn't find a bathroom in time. She has even been dry all night. Deep down I knew that when she was ready it would be very easy, but I had many "voices" (people, blogs, etc.) telling me that she "should be" doing it sooner. She wasn't ready. She is now and it was so easy.

As far as preschool goes, I have taken a very relaxed approach because Blueberry is already so precocious. We do little things each day and I approach everything we do with an awareness of what may be a good teaching moment. Because the newest member of our family takes up so much of my attention, I make a daily effort to give my 3YO personal attention whenever the baby is down for a nap. I think she really likes those times. We play games that build different skills, we do craft projects together building hand-eye skills and we started a "cooperation chart" (a.k.a. "chore" or "responsibility" chart). She gets a nickel for every chore she does and there are two extra spaces per day for her to earn more at our discretion. Blueberry really surprised me this week when she cleaned up her breakfast plate without being asked.

One of the most important skills I am consciously trying to teach my children is how to get along. More accurately: how to relate to each other. When I explain to my preschooler how to interact with the baby she is very active and willing. She was a bit apprehensive at first but now she is his biggest fan. She can get him to giggle and smile more than any of us. She often brings him toys or just makes funny noises at him. When Blueberry asks to hold Bugaboo I make sure to take the time to let her do so.

A few of the activities we have done this week are:

• going to see Daddy for lunch at work
• making a card for Daddy's birthday. she traced with marker what I drew with pencil and then colored it in.
• making an accordion book for a gift
• making gluten-free bread
• potty training
• science: what happens when we drop this? (I have her guess what happens when I drop different things like a ball, a tissue, a piece of fabric, a helium balloon, etc. then we do it and see what happens)
• went to the Science Factory
• picked herbs and lettuce that we planted outside in pots
• made "pirate monsters" out of toilet paper rolls (I suggested we make pirates, but she wanted to make monsters, so we compromised) 
• practiced with scissors by cutting pictures out of magazines

"Pirate Monsters"

Summer Fun

Last week we started going to David's company softball games. I will never forget the moment when I had Blueberry on my lap, watching David at bat. When he hit the ball, Blueberry exclaimed "He did it!" She clapped and cheered (with her little voice). It is a beautiful thing that her Daddy is her hero. 

Bug had his first time on the swings. Blueberry likes exploring all the new stuff in the area. We have so many parks! Saturday we went to a restored wildlife preserve. We saw herons, geese and ducks. We watched the baby ducks for a good long while and walked about a mile stopping along the way to enjoy the sunny weather. 

The Essentials

I can't believe my last post was about Gestational Diabetes. Bugaboo was born in late December. He was early but bigger than Blueberry was at term. His smiles and giggles have enchanted all of us, including his big sister who solicits them as often as she can. So much has happened in the last six months.

• Buggaboo was born and spent a week in the NICU
• I had to recover from a c-section during a move
• Blueberry turned 3 (I will backpost her birthday pics when I get a chance)
• We moved (email me for our new address)
• We have been exploring our new town

We love our new home. Being a mom of 2 is twice as hard but twice as fun too. Though we've had to downsize our home in the move, it has been a relief to simplify our lifestyle. We got rid of so much stuff, then got rid of more, then we moved and found that we needed to get rid of even more. It has been an unexpected blessing. If you have never had to do this, you might think I'm crazy but I love getting down to the essentials. 

May 2013

Gestational Diabetes, yay.... (late onset)

I know I am sensitive to sugar. Some may call it insulin resistant, though I haven't been diagnosed. I just know if I eat too much (read: any) sugar I don't feel great, so for the most part I try to avoid it. Also eating sugar makes me crave sugar more, which is usually an indication of mild addiction, which usually also indicates a sensitivity.

I passed my 3 hour Glucose test with flying colors over a month ago, but because my 1 hour test was slightly high, my midwife had me test my blood sugar at home (4 times per day, for a few days) about a month after the lab test. They do this so they can catch any late-onset gestational diabetics. Those who may not develop symptoms until later, but can still be helped by a modified diet. I am very glad that they do this. I think it should be standard practice with borderline patients.

Having worked in a lab, I knew before I even brought my home test results in to be evaluated that I was going to be over the cutoff. I wasn't surprised when the midwife told me I had "crossed over to the dark side" and needed diabetic education. She prescribed a glucose monitor and had me come back in for a gestational diabetes consult.

She said that since my fasting tests were high, but my after-meals tests were mostly pretty good, that she believes I probably have what is called Dawn Syndrome. After night fasting the liver dumps a bunch of glucose into the bloodstream in the early morning. Due to hormones that are produced by the placenta causing some insulin resistance, it causes blood sugar levels to spike because the body is unable to regulate the blood sugar levels.

Gestational diabetes is different than Type I or Type II in that in most cases it usually goes away after delivery of the baby and placenta. As my midwife explained (she is also a certified diabetic educator), the diet prescribed is different also because of the unique dietary restrictions and increased protein (and other nutrient) needs of a pregnant woman.

The midwife told me that my post-meal levels would have been bad too if I ate poorly, but she knows I don't. She has hope that with some tweaking of my diet, I can regulate it without needing medication. She also said I have a week to get my fasting levels under 95 and my post-meals under 130. As if I needed more motivation...

There are a few complications that can arise from gestational diabetes. It is important to regulate blood sugars during pregnancy because it can cause the baby to gain too much weight. It can cause too much amniotic fluid, which then becomes dilute and slows the maturing of the lungs in the baby. It can put the mother at a higher risk for pre-eclampsia as well as pre-term labor and other complications.

While I was waiting to turn in my results, knowing that they were going to tell me they were too high, I began to research gestational diabetes. One of the best layperson's descriptions can be found on this blog. I am trying to take it in stride. I am glad to be prescribed a glucose monitor so I have one for future use since I will probably be needing to eat right to prevent type II diabetes.

Last night I came home and ate my prescribed dinner and pre-bedtime snack. This morning my fasting glucose was down to 97 (it was averaging around 110 two weeks ago). That already gave me hope that given a few more days of this plan I can get it under 95. After breakfast it was 109, already within great range. My post prandial (after meal) levels were not horrible before. The average was under the cutoff but some did go over. I hope that my commitment to this will pay off. The ultimate goal is to avoid medication, have a healthy baby and be a healthy mom.

It was reassuring to see results so soon, as I have been concentrating more on what I eat and eating more regularly since doing my first at-home testing. It looks like I don't have to change much to get on track and I can't tell you how relieved I am. I am so thankful of my wonderfully supportive husband who decided he wanted to eat healthier too and help me prepare his lunches for the week while also prepping food for me to eat more vegetables during the day. Not only is he taking much healthier lunches but we cut the cost of his food for work down by 30%. Healthier and cheaper, who knew??

His support inspires me and I am glad I can inspire him too. We make a great team. There is not much time left and soon we will be welcoming a new little member of our family.

Saying Goodbye to Our Sweet Harlie

RIP Sweet Grandma Harlie Dog 1/25/2002-12/1/2012

The first time I met Harlie I bonded with her. We met three of the Bittner's dogs and only intended to take one home. Even though she was older, she was the sweetest and softest dog I had ever met. We decided that even though she may not have many years left that we would love her and give her a home as well as Kaci.

She was the calm one of the two and it was great to see how different their personalities were. At the same time when it was time to play, she could run and jump after the stick or frisbee as well as any dog half her age. She could get really rowdy with David when there was something to chase.

When I was pregnant the first time I noticed that she started acting differently when I took her to the dog park. She would not wander away when off the leash and while not aggressive, she would watch over me and stay close. If anyone came close to me to talk to me she was on alert. She knew something was different and she was protecting me. I am glad we never had to test it out, but I was confident that both Harlie and Kaci would fight to protect anyone in our family.

We could not have asked for better dogs to be around children. Harlie took it upon herself to patrol the house every night and would check in on our daughter before settling in to sleep on her doggie bed. We called her "grandma doggie" because she seemed to watch over everyone in the family. She was so tolerant of our nieces and nephew when they dressed her up or hung on her. If there was a stranger in the house or at the door she would position herself between them and the children in a protective stance. Not threatening, just watchful.

She had the softest fur of any dog I have ever met. I loved petting her. She loved walks and going to the dog park. Even though we always had two chewies for the dogs, if she wanted the one Kaci had she would either lick her face until Kaci got tired of it or sit on her. That always made us laugh! While she was possessive of chewies with Kaci, if a child picked up the chewie she would just stare at us as if to say “uhm... she has my chewie... help...” but would hardly move if the child offered it back to her, not wanting to take it from the child.

Through her adoption we were also able to get to know a special family that we may not have gotten to know otherwise. Our prayers go out to the Bittners too.

Harlie passed peacefully Saturday December 1^st, 2012 and will be fondly remembered by our family. She was a brave and sweet dog until the end. We love you Harlie!

Food Budget Challenges

We have been successfully using a budget plan for over a year now. (Thanks to Dave Ramsey) It is quite an accomplishment for us. We have paid off all of our credit card and medical debt and all we have left is David's student loans.

One thing I have still found challenging, however, is budgeting food. The constant change in the price of food, the variety that I like to cook, examining the various purchasing options (local food store vs. Costco wholesale), perishability (is that a word?), etc. There are so many variables, plus the fact that I just haven't gotten this meal planning thing down because either I plan too much or I don't plan enough or something comes up like getting invited over for dinner last-minute and then what do you do with what you planned to make....

Food was also the hardest to budget because of my fear of depriving my family of nutrition. Weighing the value based on NUTRITIONAL VALUE instead of weight or volume is very complex. While refined food is cheaper, it is also less nutritional. While I want to buy nutritional food, I also have to stay within a certain budget that is reasonable for our overall budget. Then there is that thing that I'm a foodie. I love deli olives and fancy cheeses. I love to try new recipes with obscure ingredients like that $6 bottle of gluten-free soy sauce that I will use only once a month that I really cannot justify in the budget any more.

Two months ago it occurred to me that what worked for our overall budget could work for our food budget. Namely itemization and prioritization of items. Like Dave Ramsey's irregular income budget (which you can print for free off his website) you make a list of all the things you buy and their average cost, then you prioritize the most important and then the next most important, until you get to the end. Because of the varying cost of food, I must buy proteins and vegetables, dairy and eggs before I buy gluten-free bread or convenience snacks for my toddler. If the price of meat goes up, things at the bottom of the list just don't get purchased that month. It makes so much sense to me I don't know why I didn't think of it sooner.

Yes, it is tedious at first to write down everything we buy and the cost. I grouped items on a spreadsheet by type (meats, vegetables, dairy, frozen (veg and fruit), non-perishable, convenience-packaged food (string cheese, individual yogurt, etc.), and other. The first month I just tried to stay on budget and bought things like I normally did. The second month I put the items in order of priority. Tried to buy the things we needed before the lower-priority items. I found that just doing this helped me stay on budget better. This is the third month and I am refining my list.

Not only do I have a better idea of what things cost, I also have a better idea of our monthly consumption of each group of items. That is very useful when budgeting because then you can see if it is worthwhile to buy in bulk. I was hesitating to buy some more perishable items (dairy and deli meats) at Costco for fear that they would spoil before we ate them, but it turns out we can save about 30% by buying certain items now because I know we will go through them.

For now I am still keeping track of each item and how much I am buying in each category to see if I can refine the system more, but it really seems to be helping me plan meals better. I know I am kind of a perfectionist but making the most of our food budget is my job. I take it seriously.

Will It Be The Perfect Christmas?

My childhood memories of Christmas include baking cookies, decorating the tree, making ornaments, visiting with friends and family, big dinners, homemade tortellini, hot cocoa and cinnamon rolls or homemade donuts on Christmas morning. Every year I would look forward to unwrap the carefully packaged ornaments to rediscover each and every one. Those familiar objects brought back memories of past Christmases. Each one being linked to a person, meaning or moment. Setting up the nativity was also a big part of my childhood Christmas. I always had more fun watching people open the presents I gave them than opening my own gifts.

We are preparing to move soon, so packing has begun. While I am good at organizing, David has to do all the heavy lifting due to my pregnant state. We debated not putting up a tree this year since we will be moving shortly after Christmas and after our son is born. But these things times are not the times to be practical. It is the little family traditions and memories that enrich our family and our daughter's life.

Ours will not be the Pinterest Perfect Christmas, but it will be full of tradition and familiarity. We will make ornaments and decorate our tree. We will rejoice for the birth of our Lord and Savior and these beautiful, familiar things will enrich and enhance the memory of our celebration for years to come. Taking the time to do so is a form of worship. Some argue that the Christmas tree originates from pagan traditions, but I would argue that in my life and in my family it has always been a way to honor our own traditions and our own Faith. It is my belief that rituals and traditions are all about intent. "As for me and my house, we serve the Lord."

We have so very few traditions any more. We will savor the ones we have and try to make new ones. Making the most out of each time and situation. Is every Christmas perfect? Yes. It is what you make of it, not because of how much money you spend or whether you get to see everyone you intend to or make the number of batches of cookies that you think you should (or whether they all turn out as they should).

This year, as in the year I was pregnant with Blueberry, there has been some illness in the family that would threaten my health at a very vulnerable time. It saddens me to disappoint people by staying away from those sick and exposed, but my hope is that they understand the situation and forgive the inevitability of my absence from their holidays. As for my little family, we will make the most of this time. We hope that others will not let this ruin relationships (or their own holidays) so we can enjoy future holidays together when everyone is healthy. Families are complicated.

So this will not be the perfect Christmas because we have to disappoint people. It WILL be the perfect Christmas because of the memories we will build and the traditions that we keep. Will yours be the perfect Christmas?