Wednesday, October 26, 2011

My Beautiful Blessing!

I can hardly believe it was one year ago today that I peed on this lil stick and got the best news ever!! BFP! I woke up DW very excitedly and could hardly even get the words out, called my dad who couldn't understand a word I was saying due to my tears of joy (thankfully mum speaks cry-talking)
Fast forward one year, and TADA! The most beautiful baby girl a mumma could ask for :)
I am so bless to be able to spend all day, everyday with my little miracle! She is my ray of sunshine and the light of my life! I am excited to (slowly!!) watch her grow into a toddler, a little girl, a teenager, a woman and one day a mother. I am so in love!
And yet there is a love greater than this!
Imagine how vast the love our Father has for his children truly is! Mind boggling isn't it? Amazing!

Monday, October 17, 2011

Pumpkin Spice Cookies!

These cookies are officially my new favorites :) I love me some tasty pumpkin goodness! Thank you Heather for the recipe!!

Pumpkin Spice Cookies
3/4 c. shortening
1 c. sugar
1 c. pumpkin
1 egg
2 c. flour
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tea nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt

Cream shortening, sugar, and pumpkin.
Add egg and vanilla mix well.
Add sifted dry ingredients.
Drop from spoon onto cookie sheet.
Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

Frosting
1/2 package of cream cheese (4 oz)
1/8 cup of butter
1 cup icing sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

Beat frosting ingredients until smooth.
Frost cookies after they have cooled.
ENJOY!

Variation: I used butter instead of shortening, because that's what I had :) I also added cinnamon to the frosting, then melted and brushed it onto the cookies while they were warm with a pastry brush! Delish!

Pumpkin Muffins: take 2



Seeing as Kyra woke ridiculously early today, I decided to bake! At 5:30 am :) I wanted to try a bit healthier version of the pumpkin muffin recipe I posted a few days ago. I replaced 1 cup of oil with plain applesauce (that I canned myself last fall)

I also added candied pumpkin seeds (just like Starbucks & Tim Horton's)
Candied Pumpkin Seeds
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup raw shelled pumpkin seeds

Spray large baking sheet with cooking spray. Heat seeds in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently, 5 minutes or until the seeds begin to pop. Add sugar, and stir constantly about 1 minute or until sugar begins to liquefy and caramelize; add cinnamon and salt. Spread seeds on prepared baking sheet, and cool. Break apart the seeds that are stuck together, once they have cooled.

I got the recipe for the Pumpkin seeds from Meemos Kitchen

Saturday, October 15, 2011

A {long} Birth Story: Kyra Elizabeth

I spent nearly 6.5 years dreaming about getting pregnant, being pregnant, labour & delivery, and being a mum! Getting pregnant was amazing! Scary and amazing :) I loved being preggo - LOVED IT! I had no morning sickness, just a mild case of nausea that went away after the first trimester, some back pain, and swelling at the end.

I went in for my weekly appointment at 36 weeks and was measuring ahead so my doc booked me an u/s. My 37 week appointment was the day before my u/s and my blood pressure was high, so I got to do a 24 urine collection! Seriously.. 37 weeks preggo and having to collect ALL my urine for 24 hours PLUS have an u/s? Egads! Well, baby was great during the u/s : ) even saw her hair waving in the fluid. She was measuring a lil big but fluid levels were good!

My doc wanted me to get checked again at the hospital on the weekend, and blood pressure was still high so the on call doctor admitted me : ( I was hooked up to a non stress test (NST) to check on baby - who was perfect! -, did labs to check for pre-eclampsia (never did have protein in my urine, never had headaches, no blurry vision...just blew up like a balloon!)

-my first hospital stay! watching Strikeforce & Netflix-

DW was with me all weekend, and got the time off during the week too! (thank you Dave!) Which was good because I was induced at 7pm Sunday (19th) night with cervidil, which gave me some lovely contractions : p They were 45 seconds long, every 2-3 minutes until they took out the cervidil out at 1 am. They slowed down to every 5-6 minutes. We tried more cervidil at 10am on the 20th til 1pm, when we switched to pitocin!

-last preggo picture 37w6d-

Pitocin is administered via I.V. and they have a specific amount you can have. All I know is that the highest level is 20, and I made it to 20 without to much pain. Loads of contractions, the NST graph was off the charts! My nurse (whom I have known since childhood!) was constantly asking me if I was sure I was okay haha. Yay for a high pain tolerance : )

-my first iv!-

At about 6pm, my Dr. checked me, and there was still no progress. Still high and firm. So we stopped the pitocin, and he called an obgyn in Red Deer to consult. I sent my mum and DW to eat supper (my parents live very close to the hospital) because we were told that induction would be tried again the next day, so they might as well eat! Well, not even 10 minutes later my doctor comes in and tells me that he is prepping me to go to Red Deer for a c-section! I was given magnesium sulfate (which is HORRIBLE! it was like fire in my veins) and told the ambulance would be there in an hour. I am beyond grateful that my nurse was a friend because I was an emotional wreck! Mum and DW returned right as the ambulance arrived -about 45 minutes ahead of schedule!- and I was off to Red Deer. The tears had barely dried on my cheeks and already I was loaded and on the road.

-my first ambulance ride!-
-Sorry for the blur! Mum barely got her phone out in time-

Once in Red Deer, I was taken to L&D, catheterized, given another I.V., hooked up to the NST and having my blood pressure taken every 15 minutes. Oh and given more magnesium sulfate : ( I got checked by the obgyn, and ready for this?? Given another round of cervidil!! 12 hours of contractions, stuck in a delivery bed, I.V.'s in both hands, catheter, and NST on my belly! I was a very hungry (no food allowed from Tuesday at 3 pm onward because of possible c-section), very swollen, tired, contracting, 38 week pregnant lady! Oh, fun story: while in a tired stupor, I was trying to sleep but my hand was cold and felt wet. I moved the sheet and tada! A huge pool of blood! My I.V. wasn't done right and every time my blood pressure was taken - gush!

-doesn't this look like a cozy way to sleep, while also having contractions?-

Fast forward through an awful night, Dr. checked me at 10 am on Wednesday the 22nd, and still no change! The furthest I dilated was 2cm, but was still high and not progressing : ( That meant a c-section was the only option. I was prepped at about 2:45 pm and rushed down. Thankfully I got an awesome doctor and not Red Deer's worst obgyn! (He was on call for that day!)

Kyra Elizabeth was born at 3:34 pm, June 22. She had the cord wrapped around her neck not once, but twice! If induction had worked and she had dropped... the cord would have snapped. My heart aches just thinking about it! She was alert from the moment she was born! She let out one squawk, was checked out, then given to her daddy right next to my head. She was perfection personified! Wide eyed and curious, she just stared at her blubbering mumma with big eyes.

I was then wheeled to recovery, while DW and Kyra were taken upstairs. I hated that I wasn't with her! I, to this day, do NOT understand why she was not with me : ( it was nearly 2 HOURS until I finally got to hold my baby and every moment was agony! My spinal was wearing off fast, by the time I got to recovery I could move my legs. And when they took me upstairs, I could feel every thing (especially when the nurses ran my bed into the elevator door jam!!) I honestly don't understand what took so long. But finally... FINALLY I got to hold her! My beautiful, perfect baby girl!!! She latched on like a pro, and was so alert : ) She was amazing, and I was so incredibly thankful for her safe arrival!

-first time holding my baby girl!-

My stay at the hospital lasted until 8:30 pm on Saturday, the 25th. I was given morphine the first night and it made me a paranoid crazy lady! I do not remember visitors & I was sure the nurses were going to steal Kyra. It was crazy! Once off the morphine, my brain returned to normal. My milk was slow at coming in. I had a horrible nurse try to force formula on me, tell me my baby was going to end up with brain damage because of jaundice. I ended up supplementing with donor breastmilk from my friend. Kyra spent 6 hours on bili-bed, had her foot poked 5-6 times. It was such a crazy hard week! I couldn't wait to get out of there!

Finally I got to take my baby home! We spent 6 weeks at my parents house (all 3 of us!) because I was not in good shape. The swelling took about a week to start going down, blood pressure was starting to go down. Kyra had to go get her Bili levels checked twice. I am so so thankful for my Mumsie! Nana and Kyra had many snuggle sessions while I slept. I have NO idea how I would have been able to handle recovery by myself, at home! (my bathroom and bedroom aren't even on the same level!)

-ready to go home-

My journey through infertility and my crazy delivery were definitely not ideal, and I pray next time around things will go better. But Kyra is amazing and I would go through it all 10 times over for the blessing of being her mumma!

Friday, October 14, 2011

Pumpkin Muffins w/ Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting


Pumpkin Muffins
4 eggs
2 cups white sugar
1.5 cups oil
1.75 cups pumpkin
3 cups flour
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. B powder
1 tsp. B soda
1 tsp. Salt
2 cups raisins

Beat eggs. Add sugar, oil & pumpkin. Combine dry ingredients and add to wet. Mix until smooth. Add raisins.
Bake 375 for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown
Mine are without raisins because my husband is weird and hates them :(


Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
4 tbs. butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. cinnamon
4 cups icing sugar

Beat cream cheese, butter & vanilla. Gradually add cinnamon and icing sugar.

More icing sugar may be needed! I don't really follow recipes super closely so I'm not sure how much I used :)
Enjoy!


Thursday, October 13, 2011

A year in review

One year ago today I was in Calgary, at the Regional Fertility Clinic having an IUI done. DW had gone in early that morning by himself to do his part, and I went down a few hours later to do my part. I was emotionally spent and ready for a break. This was our last try until the new year. My body needed a break from the drugs, I needed a break from the whole process - internal ultrasounds, drugs, cramps, timed intercourse, trips to Calgary every other day for almost 2 weeks each month - I was tired and overwhelmed. My sister and parents were planning a liver cleanse and once I got my BFN I was going to join them. It was something to look forward to, to help take my mind off of what I was sure was NOT happening in my womb.

It's hard to believe how much can change in 365 days! Things felt different within a few days but I didn't want to hope and have my heart crushed! I tested 13 agonizing days later and BFP!!! I was a mum :) I prayed all the time, giving my babe back into God's hands! I was so excited and so terrified but trusting that the giver of life was watching over us! Every week was a huge milestone, especially once we passed week 30!

Fast forward to today: I woke up to my beautiful 16 week old baby girl, who was wiggling, grunting and about to wake up for her breakfast! I am so blessed and more in love than I knew was possible!