Kids

Kids

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Borscht? Really?!?

Monday was a rough day. I felt super ill all day long, even though I was able to sneak in two naps. In the evening, I was watching Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives - 'cause if I can't eat food, at least I can dream about it!! One of the places they were showing was making borscht and it looked SO good! There are not many times where something looks good AND sounds good at the same time, but this did. Luckily, I had some frozen borscht, so Doug defrosted it and gave me a bowl. It went down well and it stayed there!! Not only did it stay, I felt really good after eating it...like, CRAZY good. I felt strong and energetic, two words I would definatly not use to describe myself as of late. Even hours later, I felt good! And for the first time in weeks, I SLEPT!! I did not wake with a sick stomach. Hooray!!!!

This morning I woke up feeling just fine. I made myself a smoothie - the first meal I have prepared myself in over a week. It went down great and stayed down. I did the dishes, sorted the laundry, had a bath, did my hair, walked around the mall for 15 minutes and then drove myself to my Dr's appointment! I have done so much! And I still feel good! I had borscht again for lunch and it made me feel great again. I decided to 'google' the health benefits of beets, and they are amazing! They are high in carbohydrates, contain sodium, magnesium, calcium, iron and phosperous! They are also considered a fiber food and contain vitamins A and C as well as niacin and folic acid. Holy super food!! I had some more tonight :)

I saw my Dr today and the appointment went really well. I am still down 6 lbs, but my blood pressure has increased which is wonderful. He has increased my meds so hopefully I'll be able to get things even more under control. He has given me the go-ahead to try back at work starting May 11th!! I am SO happy. I really hate being away from work - I haven't been there in nearly two months! I hope everything goes well and that it keeps getting better and better!

Tonight, I went with Doug and took the kids to the park. It was beautiful. I haven't played with my children in a long time, and it felt amazing. I am so blessed!!

Sunday, April 28, 2013

Second trimester!!

Today, I have hit my second trimester. Wahoo!! Here is to hoping it is better than my first.

A friend of mine did this on her blog with her last baby, and I thought it was kind of neat, so I'm going to do it too!

WEEK: 14
CRAVINGS: None really. I am just getting the bare minimum down and trying to keep them there.
WEIGHT GAIN: -7 lbs
MOVEMENT: nothing yet. With the other two, I felt them at 16 weeks :)
GENDER PREDICTION: girl, yet I have had MANY vivid dreams that we are having a boy.
MATERNITY CLOTHES: from day one! Honestly, I love maternity clothes. With being sick, I do not like any pressure on my stomach.
SICKNESS: you betcha!
BABY SIZE: lemon :)
MOOD: sick and tired, but trying to be optimistic!
WEDDING RINGS ON/OFF: on
STARTING TO SHOW: nope.
LOOKING FORWARD TOO: feeling baby move, showing.
NICK-NAMES: uhh....nothing. I guess it's just 'baby'

I am not going to do a picture with this post as A) I am not showing and B) I feel gross. I am excited for this sweet little babe to grow! I can't wait to meet him/her!

Friday, April 26, 2013

Amazing giveaway!!

Check out

http://www.kinseyholt.com/blog/

for an amazing giveaway!!

Easter :)

We had a nice little Easter. First, Grandma and Grandpa Sedrovic came over to decorate Easter eggs! The kids (and I) had a blast. I love decorating eggs!!!











For actual Easter weekend, we headed to Cardston to see the family. It was alot of fun!! We did everything - decorated more eggs, baked, had an easter egg hunt, played in the yard, had tonnes of fun with all the cousins, rolled eggs down a hill, went to church, ate a delicious Easter feast - courtosy of Mama Walton, and ate way too much candy! Our camera died when we got there, so here are some pic's Meg took. It was a great Easter weekend! We have the best family in the world!!













Progress

Not many things have been going according to plan lately. Well, not according to my plans anyway.

After I was discharged from the hospital, I thought I'd just lay around in bed and get better. That is whats happening, however at a much slower rate that I had hoped. Yesterday, I drank a total of 1 1/2 cups of liquid over the whole day, and ate a piece of toast and a few bites of plain spaghetti noodles. By 7 o'clock, I felt horrible. I was still peeing alot from the IV, but not taking in enough fluid. I had a killer headache and my mouth was so dry. I talke to my sister-in-law Dori, who is a nurse, and I was really scared that I would have to go back to the hospital...that I am not able to deal with this by myself. I took my night time meds, said a prayer with Doug and a prayer by myself, then went to sleep.

I woke up feeling terrible. The hunger pains and the thirst was intense. My stomach was in knots...I felt like I could barely stand up straight. Melissa came and took the kids, and I went back to bed with a piece of toast and a ginger ale. I slowly got the toast down and had a very few sips of the soda. By 12:30, my mother-in-law, Pat, showed up to help, and help she did!!! She went and got the kids from Melissa's and got them down for a rest. She then made me eat. She jokingly called herself a drill sergent, but she laid down the law and made me eat, little bits every half hour. Well, Mama knows best! It really seemed to help. Today, I have been able to eat and drink almost double what I did yesterday! Of course, that's still not much, but I am grateful for progress.

These last couple days have been a little more trying than the rest. I find myself feeling very angry - angry that this is happening, angry that I have to pawn my kids off every morning, angry that I cannot help my husband with anything, angry that I need to take care of myself first. It has taken A LOT of effort these last couple days to see the silver lining, but if I take the time to look, it's there.

- we have had so much help from our family and friends. Mandy has been a life saver! Not only has she taken my kids, fed us dinner and listened to me through all of this, she has also arranged for my kids to go to other friends home this whole week. Seriously, I don't know what I have done to deserve a friend like her. Dori has been such a big help too. She has given me and Doug so much support, comfort and help through all of this. Even though she lives in Calgary and isn't physically here to help, she has done more than most. My mother-in-law took the afternoon off work to come and help us. What an amazing woman! How did I get to marry into such an amazing family?!? My Dad came over to help me with the kids yesterday. It really was beautiful and it meant the world to me. I love you Daddy :)

- my kids are so resilient! I know they are having a difficult time dealing with all that is happening, but it's amazing how quick they bounce back. They are happy! They laugh, play, cry, throw tantrums, give me big wet smootches, sleep like angels, eat like pigs, ect. They are still just kids! They give me hope - hope that even though things are tough, I can bounce back and be my old, happy self :)

- I am learning to enjoy the little things. The warmth of the sun, a drink that will stay down, a particularily comfy spot on the couch, a funny moment in a movie, a kiss on my forehead from my hubby, a nice warm bath, a cool cloth on my forehead. These little things make all the difference.

- my testimony. I'm not going to lie, it can be alot of hard work to gain a testimony. You don't just get one just because you want it - not a real, deep one anyway. I am grateful that I have worked hard over the last 8 years of being a member to imprint the gospel to my heart. Because of the knowledge I have, I am able to cope. It is only now that I truely understand the importance of building your house upon a rock. Trust me, if my house were build upon the sand, it would be washed away into the sea.

God is real. I cannot say that enough. He is not just a hope, a wish, a desire - HE IS REAL! There are some - many - who will ask how I know this. How can one really know? I KNOW because the Spirit has testified it to my heart. The scriptures tell us that if we ask God, with real intent, if He is real, He will testify to our hearts the truth. He has done that for me and this is the truth. I will never deny that. I believe in Him, and in His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Christ atoned for me and my sins, and because of that great act, I can live with Him and my Heavenly Father again! What a gift. My Dad has always said 'Gods gift to man is who we are. Our gift to God is who we become.' I am a disciple of Christ... at least, that is who I want to become! Every moment of every day. I do not want the trials of life to destroy my faith in God, as it is the most precious gift I hold. I will work, everyday of my life to hold the truth in my heart.

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Things have been interesting!

Wow, this pregnancy has just kind of thrown me for a loop. I have been sick with all my pregnancies, but nothing quite like this. I came home last Saturday feeling OK. Actually...I should have stayed longer, BUT they asked if I wanted to go home or stay, and of course I wanted to get out of there, so I left. By Monday, I was feeling awful again. Monday night was really rough and I woke up feeling even worse Tuesday morning. My friend Diana drove me to my Dr's appt and my Dr could tell something was wrong. He called my OB, Dr Malach, and then informed me that I had to go back to the hospital to be rehydrated and to get some much needed rest. In all honesty, I was crushed. I am a mother of a 3 year old and 19 month old - I can't go back in the hospital! Where are my kids going to go? Doug can't take anymore time off of work...what was I going to do?!?! I am so blessed that Diana was there to support me. She was very sick with her third pregnancy, and she had to pawn her kids off so she could be in the hospital in Calgary. She pointed out to me that A) The kids have no idea whats going on and they will forget that Mommy was sick B) The kids think that this is a big adventure! They are excited to go play at new houses and see friends all day C) That people want to help me. I know I would help someone else in this situation in a heartbeat! I need to let people serve me D) This is only temporary. Pregnancy ends!!

My Mom brought me back to the hospital and I got set up in a room in the Maternity ward again. I really enjoyed listening to all the new born cries :) It got me excited to have another little bundle of my own. They hooked me back up to the IV for some fluids and meds. Again, they packed me full of drugs...I'm still feeling it. The Dr's and nurses were SUPER helpful. I don't want to keep having to go back to the hospital, so they gave me great advice on how to stay on top of my hyperemisis. The advice is pretty basic, but its amazing how quick you forget the basics.

- stay on top of my meds. Running around with two kids can make it very easy to forget my meds until it's too late. I will be setting an alarm to remind me for ALL my pills.

- very small, frequent meals. Because I had the week were I felt AMAZING, I got back in the habit of eating whatever I wanted. Now, I try to stick to bland foods and eat just a few bites at a time. For example, it took my 45 minutes to eat 1/2 cup of rice. It's kind of ridiculous, but I kept that rice down!! Yeehaw!

- do not drink and eat at the same time. I have learned the hard way with this one SO many times. The liquid just sloshes around all that food and up it comes.

- drink from a straw, which prevents me from glupping. Small, frequent sips.

- don't stand up too fast. Slowly sit up, stay sitting for a few moments, then stand. If I feel faint, lay right down on the ground, even if it's in the middle of the grocery store.

Through this all, I have been very blessed to have an eternal perpsective. Pregnancy is a GOOD thing....I am going to have another beautiful baby! How exciting! I am working very had to choose optimism. I can't choose whether or not my body is sick, but I can choose how I handle it.

Here we go!

Monday, April 22, 2013

Thankful

Today was a rough day.

Around 7pm, there was a knock at our door. When I answered, I saw Char and all her beautiful children, with a bright 'Bag of Sunshine' for me.

The Lord knew I needed some sunshine. Thank you for answering my prayer :)

Saturday, April 20, 2013

What a week!

It all started on Wednesday morning. Nola woke, all ready to go painting at Brenda's room (stay and play) - she had been talking about it all week - but unfortunatly she got hit with a stomach bug. She had the runs pretty bad. She sat on her little potty in front of the TV all morning. By afternoon, the runs stopped and she went out on a little date with her Grandma and Grandpa. Everyone was happy and well.

Fast forward to Thursday morning, I woke up with a terrible stomach ache. The runs hit immediatley and the vomitting came shrortly after. By 4 o'clock, it had not eased up the slightest, so off to the ER I went to get hydrated. I have been to the hospital to be rehydrated many times over the last couple months, so I figured I'd get in, get and IV and head home a couple hours later. Yeah right! I was in the ER from 5:30pm until noon on Friday. The runs and vomitting were still not over - at this point, I haden't kept anything down in over 24 hours. I felt awful. They admitted me to the hospital where I stayed until 9am Saturday morning.

While I was away, poor Doug had a really rough time at home. After Doug dropped me off at the ER, he headed to the park with the kids and then back home. Just as he was pulling in to Coalhurst, Robbie power puked ALL over the car! Robbie continued to vomit until he passed out around 8 o'clock. After Doug got both kids to bed, he then had to go clean out the car. My heart just aches for him! The kids were fine on Friday. Robbie was a little moody and sensitive, but who wouldnt be after being so sick. Unfortunatly, Friday evening, Robbie had a reaction to something, which resulted in his whole face swelling. Poor Doug called me in tears (don't tell him I told you that) - he had no idea what to do! Of course, I wasn't much help - being stuck in the hospital and all. I said a quick prayer and called Mandy to see if she could come get Nola so Doug could get Robbie to the ER. Mandy came and Doug rushed to the hospital. Thankfully, the nurses let me go down to the ER to see Robbie. As soon as I saw him I burst into tears - he looked horrible! Luckily, it wasn't anaphylactic, so they didn't stay long at the hospital. They just gave him some benadryl and some advice for Doug.

Needless to say, this has been a very trying couple of days, however the Lord has blessed with me many tender mercies

- in the ER, they did a quick scan of the baby :) I have never seen a baby at 12 weeks before. I was shocked at how...human it was! The only early scan I have had have shown a little blob-baby. This little one was kicking it's legs and sucking it's thumb. It made my heart feel great.

- on Friday night, after seeing Rob in the ER, I was sent back up to my room and I was feeling very down. I turned to the Lord in prayer, asking for comfort. Just then, the clouds lifted and the sun shone bright and perfect through my room window. I felt of the Saviours love and it made my heart whole again.

- the Dr's were very nervous that I had a colon infection, as that is a symptom of prolonged use of anti-biotics (I was on anti-biotics for three weeks due to a bladder infection) If I was positive for this infection, the only medicine I could use to treat it is very dangerous for the baby and I would most likely lose the pregnancy. Of course, I was terrified. We are so very grateful that I do not have an infection - that this was just viral. I try to enjoy every moment I have with the sweet babe growing inside me.

Another huge blessing for us has been all the support we recieved.

Thank you to

- Mandy, for taking Nola for us, bringing us some banana bread and always being there to help in a time of need.

- Sam and Melissa, for bringing Robbie some pedalyte when he was sick and for bringing Doug and the kids a delicious dinner.

- Dori, for chatting with me through the whole process and letting me cry to you.

- Nicole, for coming to the ER to support Doug. It means so much to us!!

- Kathryn, for coming to visit me at the hospital. I was so lonely and your visit really brightened my day.

- Dad Sedrovic, for coming to visit me :)

- Mom Walton. THANK YOU SO MUCH!! She came and stayed with Doug on Friday night for support. I was so glad to hear that once Doug got back from the ER with Rob, she fed him and sent him to bed. She played with the kids, bathed them, fed them, got us groceries and made some freezer meals. Most important of all, she supported Doug. This has been hard for him and I am so glad he had his mom to help :) Thanks to Papa too, for lending us Mom :)

- Mom Sedrovic. I really don't even know where to start. Even though she was not feeling good herself, she stayed with me in the ER until 11pm on Thursday, watched the kids Friday so Doug could see me, went to the ER with Doug and Robbie and was a superstar through it all. She did not complain once, she only held my hand, helped me to laugh, and helped me get back and forth to the bathroom about a zillion times. Thank you Mom - you are the greatest.

- Finally, and above all, I want to thank my husband. Doug, you are amazing. You pulled it together so well. If I were in your shoes, I am sure I would have flipped out. You kept your cool and took care of EVERYTHING. Since we were first married, Doug and I referred ourselves to 'Team Walton', and that is exactly what we are. I am so blessed to have such an amazing team mate who can take care of his kids, all by himself, clean up puke, rush to the hospital, and still have a smile on his face. You are an amazing example for me and I thank my Heavenly Father everyday that I have you.

Thank you to everyone for all of your prayers. We have felt the Spirit of the Lord touch our hearts and we are beyond grateful. Now, it's time for us to relax and get some rest :)

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

It's true!!!

Today I got to hear the sweet sound of baby #3's heart beat! We are so thrilled to be welcoming another baby into our family. We have yet to tell the kids - Robbie will have no idea, but I think Nola will be pretty excited. I'm sure we'll tell them this week.

Many of you have asked how I have been feeling this pregnancy, since pregnancy and I usually do not get along very well. I figure the best way to tell, and also to document this stage of life, is through my blog. So, here it is!

I have been sick. Really sick. I have what's called hyperemesis gravidarum - basically, it's extreme morning sickness, resulting in weight loss, low blood pressure, dehydration, constipation, dizzyness and fainting. Week 7-11 were, in all honestly, hell. I was unable to do to anything. I couldn't sleep, eat, drive, walk - anything. The kids and I would stay home all morning, as I couldn't leave the house alone with them. Somedays weren't safe for the children to be at home alone with me, so my Mom, Mandy or Melissa would take the kids. I had multiple trips to the ER for re-hydration and med's to treat the pain my body was in. I started to feel very low, maybe even depressed. It was devistating to hear my children cry for me to come play with them, but I couldn't get out of bed; to watch Doug take them to the park, to cook meals with them, to give them their bath - all little things that you really do miss when you are unable to do them. I felt like I couldn't be their mom. As I spent more and more time away from my family, I felt further and further away from anything that brought me joy. I finally reached out to a dear friend of mine, who recently endured months of bedrest due to problems with her placenta and then finally, the birth of her beautiful son at 28 weeks. I asked how she coped with being unable to be a Mom while she was in the hospital. Her answer was straight forward and hit me like a tonne of bricks - she turned to the Lord. From that moment on, I decided I would do the same.

The following weeks were, and have been, life changing. I have never come so close to the Lord as I have while dealing with this trial. By turning to the sciptures and pleading to the Lord through prayer, I have learned to focus on what I CAN do, not what I cannot. I CAN read my children stories in bed, I CAN watch Dora and Diego with them, I CAN sing songs, do stickers and shower them with love and kisses. I realized that I still can be their mom, and a good one at that! Even though the sickness was not improving, my emotional state was at an all time high, and that made all the difference.

With Nola and Robbie, I was pretty sick for the whole 9 months, so I figured this pregnancy would be the same. Well, last Tuesday, I woke up feeling great! I had an amazing day of energy and I accomplished much. I have been waiting for the ball to drop and for the HG to come back, but I have gone a whole week feeling great! I have only throw up 5 times in the last 7 days!! That may not sound that great to some people, but for those of us who've experience HG they know thats AWESOME!! I am doing all that I can to enjoy each and every day. Like they say, 'you don't know what you got 'til it's gone', and boy does that ever ring true when you lose our health.

I would be totally and completely ungrateful if I did not take time to recognize the man who pulled us along through this all. Doug has been my knight in shining armour. He has been the greatest blessing to me and my kids. He has cooked most meals, cleaned the house, put the kids to bed, played with them at the park so I could rest, rubbed my back, ran out to the store at all hours to get me something that I would like to eat, watch me eat it and then throw it right back up. He has been my EVERYTHING! He will forever be blessed for the efforts he puts into our home. I love him dearly.

Another shout out goes to my mom. Mom, THANK YOU! She came to my house every day she had off work to help me. She would drive me around to my appointments, help me grocery shop and cared for the kids so Doug could care for me. I love her and she has set the most beautiful example of the kind of mother I want to be. If I am half the mother she is, my children will be blessed.

My testimony burns strong within me. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are real! They hear our prayers and are mindful of our exact situations. I have felt a love and peace that has come directly from heaven. My home has been blessed - the Sprirt of the Lord dwells here. I believe in the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. I believe, to the depths of my soul, that Joseph Smith really did see God and His Son, that he restored the priesthood of God to the earth. I know it, I live it, I love it.

Thank you all for your love and concern. May we all turn to the Lord in our trials and be strengthened through Him!