So Hannah Kate had her 6 month appointment today and the pediatricians office staff has FINALLY started calling her Hannah-Kate instead of just Hannah! Woot!
She is mostly in the 50-75th percentile in everything except weight. She's 75-90th percentile there but still very proportionate and very healthy! Chunky in a good way!
She took her shots like a champ and promptly fell asleep on the way home just like Mommy planned! (I always ask for Tylenol before injections.)
Her sleep is still erratic no matter how consistent we are and I'm learning to roll with the punches and work on things one step at a time.
Life lately feels a lot like fighting, or at least like working hard... all the time.
We are working on getting Ryan's business up and running and are in the in between phase where he works his full time job and take side jobs for his business fairly regularly... I'm not sure I remember what a real weekend looks like anymore. I feel like a single parent some days.
I have had so many needles stuck in me in the past ten days it's not even funny and I have another couple of blood tests on Friday before I can schedule another appointment with my Endocrinologist and finally get a real game plan in place to start working on my PCOS.
I have started fighting my Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome on my own by eating a low fat low GI diet and I joined the YMCA and have been going pretty much every week day since.
I'm loving Body Pump and I'm already feeling better about myself in general. It's amazing what taking a stand can do for your general well being.
I'll admit, I have been fighting depression and a general defeatist attitude lately. I have felt weighed down and overwhelmed by a lot of things but particularly my health. And I felt like it wasn't really something to talk about because it has to do with ovaries...
Well forget that! If people can talk all about boobies in support of breast cancer then we can talk about ovaries in support of PCOS!
In fact, September is PCOS awareness month and the official color of PCOS Awareness is teal! (I'm gonna be wearing a lot of it now!)
I am fighting harder to lose weight than your average person. And losing weight and getting healthy is a fight to keep from getting diabetes, cancer, heart disease etc. I am 4 - 6 times more likely to have a heart attack than your average person, and 50% more likely to suffer miscarriages, and getting pregnant is a struggle as well. All of these things are a part of PCOS and insulin resistance and this information has beat me down enough! It's fighting time! I am meeting with doctors, getting tests done, working my @$$ off at the gym and completely changing my diet and eating like I'm already diabetic. (That's healthy!) I think Ryan and I may even take a family trip to Houston at the end of the month to take part in a PCOS Awareness 5K.
I'm not bearing this burden alone in secret anymore. My husband is a great support and there is a lot more support out there than I realized. PCOS effects 10% of Women in the US today.
The Motto on a ton of PCOS Awareness apparel is Fight Like a Girl! And that's exactly what I'm going to do!
Go Teal! ;)
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Monday, August 19, 2013
Half a Year; Hannah-Kate is 6 Months Old
Hannah-Kate turned 6 months old today! I can hardly believe it! I held a friend's new baby boy this week who was the same size as my little girl when she was born and it was so hard to believe that she was ever that tiny! Hannah-Kate is sitting up by herself for short periods of time, she is super good at rolling over both ways, she has figured out how to get on her hands and knees and sort of launch herself forward in a scooting movement, and looks about ready to crawl any time now.
She was a champ this weekend when Mommy and Daddy were both VERY sick. She nursed only when she really needed it (Not that she had much of a choice on the matter.) She was very pleasant and let Daddy put her to bed several times and even stuck it out with us at an urgent care facility so we could get back on track.
Of course the first night she only woke up once would be the night we were up puking in the bathroom, but I'm grateful none-the-less.
Today has been a recovery day. Lots of snuggles and baths and naps laying with Mommy instead of in the crib. I'm okay with that, I was only around her to nurse her yesterday as Daddy was the healthier of the two of us.
There are a lot of changes ahead for our little family and we are taking things one step at a time just trying to follow God through it all and be grateful for what we have.
Today I am so incredible grateful for my sweet baby girl!
Monday, August 12, 2013
Warning: Blog Vomit!
It's been a while since my last blog post. There is a reason for that. Things have gotten pretty crazy around here... unfortunately one of those "things" is me.
Prepare yourself for a therapeutic spew of sorts. (Therapeutic for me, sorry, not you.)
First; we decided to officially leave our home church. This was a difficult decision that we had been praying about for 2 months and felt like God answered through a sting of circumstances that are quite uncommon at said church and the timing was just "bad" according to our family pastor. Ryan explained over the phone that he felt like that timing was God's answer for us and that we harbor no ill feelings towards the church and see great things coming from said church. But a number of things just weren't adding up to the specific needs of our family in this time in our lives.
We parted on good terms, and I know God is leading us to find our church home/family but this was HARD. Ryan and I have basically been looking for a permanent church home since we got married. We have been looking for good friends to grow our family with, to encourage, and be encouraged by. Accountability partners, coffee dates, true friends. Ryan and I are VERY different in our church preferences. E.G
I like topical preaching, he prefers expository,
Worship is very important to me, I want something contemporary and skilled, People praising Jesus is all the same to him.
I've been burned by lots of churches in the past that makes me a little more picky (maybe judgemental if I'm honest) and warry about finding a church.
We both decided we want our church to be in our city so Pflugerville it is.
We both would like for there to be good Men and Women's ministries but especially Women's as I could really use more outlets and support while He is working.
I haven't left Hannah Kate in a Nursery yet so this feels like taking steps backwards because how am I supposed to feel safe leaving her for the first time in a church we haven't been going to for long?
And the anxiety ensues.
Also, Ryan got set up with a home warranty company as an independent contractor for his business. Apparently it started on Saturday because he got 4 calls in 48 hours as well as a friend of ours who's AC went out completely. They have two little girls and it was HOT. So Ryan worked all through the weekend and has side jobs after work today and tomorrow and that's if he doesn't receive more calls.
I have mixed feelings about all this. We both feel like a massive wave just came down on us, but it's like we have been in a drought before said wave so it's appreciated but a tad overwhelming.
I went with Ryan to our friends house while he fixed their AC and got to see him at work. He LOVES helping people. He LOVES residential work. He is good at it, he is satisfied by it and we both loved that we were able to help our friends, who are foster parents, keep those little girls cool without having to spend hundreds of dollars.
This kind of work is a ministry as well as a business and I could just see my husband thriving in it this weekend. I heard him on the phone with a customer helping him trouble shoot a diagnosis and his customer service and communication skills are excellent and he is so knowledgeable and honest. This fills me with pride. I LOVE these things about my husband. His work is hard, sacrificial, uncomfortable and when it's helping people, families, he feels so rewarded. I can't wait for him to get to do this full time. It's night and day different from working on Commercial HVAC.
What I'm not really excited about is how much he's going to be gone now, and how physically tired he will be when he comes home. (Selfish much? Yes!) But he has made it clear that while quantity of time may be difficult for a while he wants to make sure the time he does have with me and Hannah Kate is quality time. (What a man I have!) I will and am already missing my husband, and it is REALLY hard to have long days alone with a 6 month old who's sleeping habits are down right frustrating.
Which brings me to my next spew. I have been pleading with God, doing my research, watching my child closely, trying to stick to schedules and consistency to help both of us sleep better and longer and while we have good days... I can't seem to get anything to stick! This is one of the most frustrating aspects of life at the moment. (Or maybe it just feels that bad because I'm tired all the time.)
So in dealing with all of this anyone might be a little stressed and emotional right? (Someone say yes just for my sake.)
But I'm embarrassed and ashamed to admit that yesterday my poor husband had to help me get a hold of my emotions and point out that in a matter of a few hours I had gone from happy and excited about the business taking off and the money coming in to angry and frustrated with him for not helping me with something when and how I expected and with Hannah Kate not taking a nap, and then I got all sad and emotional about God only knows what... This isn't the first time this has happened and it makes me feel like a Psycho. My only comfort is that I can pretty much always take a step back and realize my emotions or moods are unreasonable. When Ryan asked me what was going on yesterday I pretty much burst into tears and told him I was a freak with hormone issues and didn't even really know why I was feeling the way I was... Poor Ryan.
I have an appointment with my Endocrinologist a week from today. I know extreme mood swings are a side effect of insulin resistance and PCOS so I really hope she can help me figure something out. I feel like the added stress of life is making all my endocrine issues worse and I'm trying so hard to stay in control of my emotions... see? I sound like a crazy woman again...
This thing is hard for me to deal with some days. Today is one of those days.
But to think about the silver lining, all of Ryan's work is providing us with the means to get a YMCA membership and one of the keys to living healthy is consistent exercise. Which is also great for stress, they have great childcare that my sister trusts which makes me feel better about leaving Hannah Kate for an hour so I can work out. This also means I get a break on long days that Ryan isn't home.
I'm also planning on getting into some Mom's programs and Bible Studies this fall to make sure I stay spiritually grounded and focused on God as well as just getting some support and added outlets in the midst of this crazy life.
Whew! I think I got it all out... now my mind doesn't feel so cluttered and I feel like my emotions just took a deep breath. Haha (Crazy much?)
Prepare yourself for a therapeutic spew of sorts. (Therapeutic for me, sorry, not you.)
First; we decided to officially leave our home church. This was a difficult decision that we had been praying about for 2 months and felt like God answered through a sting of circumstances that are quite uncommon at said church and the timing was just "bad" according to our family pastor. Ryan explained over the phone that he felt like that timing was God's answer for us and that we harbor no ill feelings towards the church and see great things coming from said church. But a number of things just weren't adding up to the specific needs of our family in this time in our lives.
We parted on good terms, and I know God is leading us to find our church home/family but this was HARD. Ryan and I have basically been looking for a permanent church home since we got married. We have been looking for good friends to grow our family with, to encourage, and be encouraged by. Accountability partners, coffee dates, true friends. Ryan and I are VERY different in our church preferences. E.G
I like topical preaching, he prefers expository,
Worship is very important to me, I want something contemporary and skilled, People praising Jesus is all the same to him.
I've been burned by lots of churches in the past that makes me a little more picky (maybe judgemental if I'm honest) and warry about finding a church.
We both decided we want our church to be in our city so Pflugerville it is.
We both would like for there to be good Men and Women's ministries but especially Women's as I could really use more outlets and support while He is working.
I haven't left Hannah Kate in a Nursery yet so this feels like taking steps backwards because how am I supposed to feel safe leaving her for the first time in a church we haven't been going to for long?
And the anxiety ensues.
Also, Ryan got set up with a home warranty company as an independent contractor for his business. Apparently it started on Saturday because he got 4 calls in 48 hours as well as a friend of ours who's AC went out completely. They have two little girls and it was HOT. So Ryan worked all through the weekend and has side jobs after work today and tomorrow and that's if he doesn't receive more calls.
I have mixed feelings about all this. We both feel like a massive wave just came down on us, but it's like we have been in a drought before said wave so it's appreciated but a tad overwhelming.
I went with Ryan to our friends house while he fixed their AC and got to see him at work. He LOVES helping people. He LOVES residential work. He is good at it, he is satisfied by it and we both loved that we were able to help our friends, who are foster parents, keep those little girls cool without having to spend hundreds of dollars.
This kind of work is a ministry as well as a business and I could just see my husband thriving in it this weekend. I heard him on the phone with a customer helping him trouble shoot a diagnosis and his customer service and communication skills are excellent and he is so knowledgeable and honest. This fills me with pride. I LOVE these things about my husband. His work is hard, sacrificial, uncomfortable and when it's helping people, families, he feels so rewarded. I can't wait for him to get to do this full time. It's night and day different from working on Commercial HVAC.
What I'm not really excited about is how much he's going to be gone now, and how physically tired he will be when he comes home. (Selfish much? Yes!) But he has made it clear that while quantity of time may be difficult for a while he wants to make sure the time he does have with me and Hannah Kate is quality time. (What a man I have!) I will and am already missing my husband, and it is REALLY hard to have long days alone with a 6 month old who's sleeping habits are down right frustrating.
Which brings me to my next spew. I have been pleading with God, doing my research, watching my child closely, trying to stick to schedules and consistency to help both of us sleep better and longer and while we have good days... I can't seem to get anything to stick! This is one of the most frustrating aspects of life at the moment. (Or maybe it just feels that bad because I'm tired all the time.)
So in dealing with all of this anyone might be a little stressed and emotional right? (Someone say yes just for my sake.)
But I'm embarrassed and ashamed to admit that yesterday my poor husband had to help me get a hold of my emotions and point out that in a matter of a few hours I had gone from happy and excited about the business taking off and the money coming in to angry and frustrated with him for not helping me with something when and how I expected and with Hannah Kate not taking a nap, and then I got all sad and emotional about God only knows what... This isn't the first time this has happened and it makes me feel like a Psycho. My only comfort is that I can pretty much always take a step back and realize my emotions or moods are unreasonable. When Ryan asked me what was going on yesterday I pretty much burst into tears and told him I was a freak with hormone issues and didn't even really know why I was feeling the way I was... Poor Ryan.
I have an appointment with my Endocrinologist a week from today. I know extreme mood swings are a side effect of insulin resistance and PCOS so I really hope she can help me figure something out. I feel like the added stress of life is making all my endocrine issues worse and I'm trying so hard to stay in control of my emotions... see? I sound like a crazy woman again...
This thing is hard for me to deal with some days. Today is one of those days.
But to think about the silver lining, all of Ryan's work is providing us with the means to get a YMCA membership and one of the keys to living healthy is consistent exercise. Which is also great for stress, they have great childcare that my sister trusts which makes me feel better about leaving Hannah Kate for an hour so I can work out. This also means I get a break on long days that Ryan isn't home.
I'm also planning on getting into some Mom's programs and Bible Studies this fall to make sure I stay spiritually grounded and focused on God as well as just getting some support and added outlets in the midst of this crazy life.
Whew! I think I got it all out... now my mind doesn't feel so cluttered and I feel like my emotions just took a deep breath. Haha (Crazy much?)
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