Hills & Valleys: Our Faith Journey

I don't think it's any secret that the past four months, I've changed my eating habits and thereby have lost some weight. I've had a bunch of people ask me recently for more specifics on what I've been doing, so I figured I'd share here. First of all, I did NOT use any kind of subscription, pill, shake, etc. to lose weight. If that's your thing, go for it. I just don't like the idea of having to purchase something in order to lose weight and maintain a healthy size. I wanted something sustainable for life, that didn't cost me a lot of extra money (because let's face it, who has extra money laying around??). The Nutrition Side I absolutely love nutrition. I added a Nutrition minor to my college degree because of how much I enjoy it, and I honestly wish I'd had the time to take more classes. So, I've learned about a lot of different diets out there and why diets generally don't work. I also know that going to extremes (e.g. complet

Well, let's just call this the year of getting REALLY acquainted with the medical profession, shall we? Haha. In all honestly, I don't think I've been to the doctor as many times in my whole life as I've been this year. In some respects it feels like we just get one thing taken care of before something else crops up. In August, I started having a variety of symptoms that ultimately led to the diagnosis of several different issues, C-diff being one of them. (Since a bunch of people have asked--yes, I'm completely better from that.) One of the other things I was diagnosed with was an ovarian cyst. This cyst was so painful that it became difficult to do normal activities--walk, go up any stairs, get in the car, etc. Everything became so very painful. After dealing with it for about a week and a half, I finally got a diagnosis which was later confirmed by ultrasound. Last Monday, I had a followup ultrasound to check on the cyst. My pain had all but disappeared so I

1. Have you tried reducing stress in your life? Ya know, there is absolutely no medical basis for this kind of statement. Plenty of babies have been conceived in stressful times--let's think about war, tornadoes, major storm systems... Less stress does not necessarily equal an easier time getting pregnant. 2. Maybe you should look into adoption. Adoption is not a quick fix for people struggling to get pregnant. Speaking from my own situation, I want (and believe God will give us) the experience of carrying my babies in my belly, birthing them, etc. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE adoption. I want to adopt someday. But that doesn't change my desire for bio kids, too. Also, can we just stop for a minute and realize kids available for adoption aren't a commodity to fill a need?!? They are people too. They have needs, many of which are more complex because of the situations they are born into. They need parents who are ready to work through these needs with th

I've been getting a lot of questions lately about how I'm feeling, where things are up to in our journey, etc. I figured that means it's time for an update here. ;) Many of you know I ended up getting a UTI and C-diff about a month ago that made me sick for about a month. The ER doctor thought my pain was related to the UTI since they ruled out any issues with my appendix. However, the pain persisted for weeks after the UTI was resolved and actually worsened, so I ended up bringing it up with Dr. Poppy. A quick exam led her to believe I had an ovarian cyst. Last week, I had an ultrasound performed which confirmed the presence of an ovarian cyst that is almost the size of my ovary. OUCH! No wonder there was so much pain. Thankfully, my pain levels have now eased, though I can still feel the cyst sometimes. I'm not sure what the game plan is with that--I'm waiting to hear back from Dr. P. The C-diff and all associated symptoms have now cleared up, so I'm back

Hey friends! Thought I'd post another health update since it's been a few days since my last. I so appreciate those who are following my/our journey towards better overall health and baby #2! It's now been 2.5 weeks since I received my test results from my doctor that necessitated implementing a low carb diet. I'm not gonna lie, it's been hard. I haven't really grocery shopped and this has meant that I've been skipping meals at times because it feels like there isn't much I can eat in a house full of carbs (bread, potatoes, crackers, etc etc). It's not that way all the time, so don't feel like I"m starving myself or anything. ;) I'm still eating plenty, I am just working through what these food changes mean for me. One of the things my doctor recommended was starting on a magnesium supplement. My levels were low so it made sense to supplement. I've never had any issues with any medication so I jumped right in, excited to "

Well, I've officially made it one week into this low carb "thing." In some ways, it's been harder than I thought. At the beginning, it literally felt like there was nothing I could eat. The second day, I was so depressed looking in the pantry at all the things I cannot eat that I completely fell off the bandwagon and ate whatever I wanted. Cue headaches and generally feeling awful. Let's just say I learned my lesson. ;) We don't eat a lot of sweets or dessert at home, so that part hasn't been terribly difficult. But when you're used to eating pasta or crackers or bread or loads of fruit....well, those are tough to give up. I'd bought bananas (highest carb fruit) and grapes (second highest carb fruit) the day before my test results came back, and it was awful to realize I couldn't eat them. I also learned that the watermelon, peaches, and mangoes that I so enjoy are also on the no-no list. So much of what I used to enjoy now has to be strictly

Just thought I'd share a bit of an update on what's going on with me health-wise. Yesterday I received an email with all of my test results from my recent bloodwork with my new doctor, Dr. Poppy. The testing showed several deficiencies--magnesium, iron, and vitamin D. I've heard many people are deficient in magnesium, and I've been vitamin D deficient multiple times, so neither of these shocked me. Being low in iron was a little surprising, though. I have recently started taking a prenatal that includes iron, so hopefully given time, all will be up to par again. The test revealed some other information as well. The first big piece of that puzzle was a progesterone deficiency. Both myself and Dr. Poppy suspected this, but it was "nice" (if nice is the right word) to have some sort of definite information on that. For those who may not be aware, progesterone is *hugely* important in getting pregnant and sustaining a pregnancy. Essentially, it prepares the lin

(PLEASE NOTE: This is *not* a pregnancy announcement.) As many of you know, we have struggled to get pregnant, both before and after Selah. This has long been a silent battle as far as FB is concerned, but I feel like transparency is important in this season as we've had lots of questions of late. The past five-ish years have held lots of tears and grief, waiting and crying out to God for the fulfillment of our desire for baby #2. I have battled depression at times and it has been anything but easy. My months of infertility testing (in 2010-11 and again in 2013) were a huge rollercoaster of emotions that ultimately left me frustrated and feeling like a human pincushion, albeit with some answers. Not wanting to relive that, I've hesitated to be seen by a doctor again, especially since the closest specialist is an hour away. (School was obviously also a factor that left me without the time to devote to the many appointments such doctors require.) Anyway, quite awhile back (

He told me to give and I did. But my flesh whispered "Will You be faithful? Will You provide?" And He said "Yes." Less than 24 hours later Provision came. So thankful for my Abba, who meets our needs even when our faith is weak.