He made my dreams come true

First, start at this post. All I wanted was 1. a place for the kids to play outside, 2. a washer and drier, 3. a garage.

I have all of those things now :).

I am still grateful to have running water and a shower (this came from my trip to Africa and I still breath a sigh of relief each and every time I take a shower).

I am grateful to have a place to play outside, a washer and drier, and a garage.  Our family used all three today as well.  Praise the Lord.  And thank you Kendall for your hardworking work ethic, you never cease to amaze me and will go to the end's of the earth and back for your family.  

Biggest Post-Baby Regret

I'm just going to lay it on out there- my biggest post-baby regret is that I didn't encapsulate the placenta. 

Still with me?

Read on dear readers, read on.

Enlightened Mama explains it best, it's just downright good for you.  It makes happy milk, happy mama brain, happy mama body, and so on and so forth.  They'll even steam it up with herbs and dehydrate it for you!

At Emma's birth, I had Kendall take a picture of the placenta because it was excessively huge.  Even our been-there-done-that nurse made a comment it was the largest she'd ever seen.  Thank you??

However, I very protective of the integrity of my placenta and will not put it on the net for wondering eyes to explore.  To each his own.  BUT I SO WISH I WOULD HAVE TAKEN IT HOME!

I even asked Jensen what it would take to get that bad boy outta here and said "A bag."  Very dry that one, very dry.

And the more I read and the more I hear, I can't help but wonder just how wonderful it is.  I personally cannot get over where it came from and will not deny the ick factor that it gives me.  To me, it's like eating a healthy version of a booger.  But I need to get over that if history and women who know say differently.

Maybe it helps shrink the uterus so you don't get the mommy pooch?

Maybe it makes my babies into utterly adorable Michelin babies who have roll after roll of heart melting baby chub?

Maybe it takes away acne?  Arthritis?  Back aches?

MAYBE IT MAKES ME HAVE THE METABOLISM OF A 16 YEAR OLD BOY?!?!?

Now we're talking...

Next time, if there ever is one, I'm doing it.  I'm encapsulating my placenta.  It's not like you can taste it, right?

Newness

Things happen through out the day that I feel like would make a great facebook post but instead I should just blog it, it really is worth of a post!  Finding the moment where I'm not refilling a sippy cup or bowl of apple sauce is another deal.

Tonight, for instance, I decided we are not going to AWANA.  It started at nap time, if you don't take a nap you don't get to go to Sparks or Cubbies.  Nobody wants to be around a crabby kid, those sweet volunteer teachers shouldn't have to endure a Mohr child that has gone napless.  Bless their hearts.  Then as the time drew closer I second guessed my parenting choice.  Really, take away CHURCH as a form of punishment?  Shouldn't they go to church to learn obedience or at least have it reinforced?  What kind of good ol' Christian mother deprives her children of JESUS?  Oh how a mountain out of a lump of clay can form in a woman's mind.  It's nerve wracking just thinking about it. 

Nevertheless I got elbow deep in a project and they are all playing SO well together it reaffirmed that maybe we should just take a night in.  Really, we did our Bible work today, studied our scriptures this afternoon, and are building relationships.  Sounds good to me.

Our home is two stories with a basement.  The basement is scary with spiderwebs, concrete floors, wood showing in the ceiling, and not enough light nor a real window.  It is like the Cosby basement, remember their basement was freaky?  Well, I have decided I need to utilize every ounce of square footage in this home.  It's a two bedroom one bath on the main floor, an upstairs that is an attic that someone put carpet in and called it a room (but it does have two large windows at both ends), and the basement is dreary.  I sorely need to search Pinterest for help on how to transform everything into a usable living area.  This is my first winter where I have four children running around, playing, needing to burn off energy and what in the world are we going to do at twenty below zero this January?  We have been downstairs trying to transform the dreary, scary, basement into a fun, bright, warm, loving spot to sit and learn. 

Whenever I have a big weekend with guests coming over, say for a birthday party or BBQ, I usually take those precious hours and days before hand to do the most tedious work like clean and organize the silverware drawer.  Because every one's going to see that drawer right?  Every time.  Ugh, I neglect the papers that need sorting or the books that could some donating.  Seriously, I go for the pantry and wipe it down and sweep and organize.  Well, if you ever come over on a big holiday weekend or for a festive moment fill free to look in my medicine cabinet because odds are I attacked with every Norwex cloth I own.  Go. Me.

That said, Eleanor's birthday party is this weekend.  And my basement is coming together nicely.

Hashi Toyota Motorola, huh?

It says "Daddy's Little Angel" taken when she was six weeks old.

Ernest the Goober Child who is striking what I would call a televangelist pose.

Onward to our subject:


I can't help but laugh when people say "Huh?" to the name of this hashi thingie... It's called Motorola disease.  I mean Toyota Corolla?  Karate Giujitsu?  Lol, okay I'm a dork.

Down to business:

"Hashimoto’s is an immune problem not a thyroid problem. The immune system is destroying the gland, and that is the reason the thyroid is producing less hormone." Source

I need to reboot my immune system.  On one hand I'm relieved I can cover the symptoms daily by taking a pill.  On the other hand, I don't want a band aid.  I want this to be fixed!  Don't medicate my symptoms, fix my body so it don't have symptoms in the first place!

Kendall has, SURPRISINGLY, been very supportive of my decision to change up our eating habits.  Like I've said before, I cook and serve as much as I can from a natural approach meaning less top Tombstone pizza and more roast with veggies. (Note: I do carry an emergency bag of frozen burritos in the freezer.  Don't judge.)   However, I have taken it to a higher level of dedication and reform. 

My favorite 'good for you' blog on natural eating is Nourishing Kitchen.  It is the complete opposite of the SAD (Standard American Diet) and is downright dirty when the topic of McDonald's is approached.  This is where I get my recipes for bone marrow broth using dog bones and Kombucha.  I searched 'thyroid' and ten hits were on the first page. My favorite post concerning hypothyroidism is the one simply entitle Foods to Promote Thyroid Health.  Alrighty then.

The least, the very least, I can do is change my eatting habits.  I'm a firm believer that my midwife urging me to consume more protein during my pregnancy with Emma led me to gain little weight with her, thus I am below my starting weight.  Now if I could only lose Eleanor, Ernest, and Ethan's pregnancy weight...  That said, I'm ready to buckle down and take it to the next step.  No sugar and no coffee.  Gasp.  Lord help me.  Lord help my husband!

Day one went well.  It only went well because I ate a chocolate chip cookie on the way home from church and then realized it, mid bite!, that I was consuming said chocolate chip cookie so I threw it in the back to the two year old.  He has a great metabolism, let him eat it!  (For now.  We're doing a family eatting overhaul so even the kids are going to have to let up on the sweets.)  However, I skipped on the post-church coffee.  And today I added no sugar to my sun tea.  I rock!  Let's see how day three goes. 

A bump is a lump no matter how small

Oh you pesky health issues, be gone!

April 2011 I felt a bit of a lump on my throat while putting on my moisturizer.  I decided to have a full physical performed and specifically asked that my TSH (thyroid stuff) be checked.  After googling some pesky issues, and hearing some reassurance from a friend that it did indeed sound like thyroid problems, I was anxious to hear the results.  Sure enough, my level was at a 11 and it should be under a three.  My hair was falling and clogging my shower, I was very tired, and I couldn't seem to lose my Eleanor-baby-weight.  I had been thinking that I had these symptoms because Eleanor was five months old at the time and it was my hormones leveling out.  After the physical I was given a prescription for synthroid which is a synthetic version of TSH and I started to feel better again.  However, that pesky lump never did make its exit.  And then I became pregnant with Emma in May.

Skip to summer of 2012.  Emma is born, this lump has grown, it is tender, and I'm annoyed at its very presence in my body.  Lump, I'm so over you.  I made an online appointment with a random doctor instead of my family physician because I wanted to keep the two seperate.  Weird, I know, but it's my brains fault and I just follow through.  She recommended having an ultrasound and we were scheduled for the following week.  At my ultrasound, which took all of ten minutes, I could actually the doggone thing staring back at me.  Ewwwww!  I did not like the idea of a "random mass of cells" making its home in my neck, much less being able to view it.  It was also new feeling being in ultrasound without hearing a new itty-bitty heartbeat.

My thinking- "My ultrasound is on a Thursday.  I don't want the doc to call me until Monday.  Anytime before that is bad news." Well, she called Friday and scheduled a biopsy the following week. Great.

So how does one go about having a biopsy performed on your neck?  Good question.  The sweet ultrasound tech reassured me that it was painfree other than a stick of benzocaine.  (Or is it lidocaine? Novacaine? Whatever 'caine' it is, sign me up!)  I'd already gotten the scoop on how it all really feels from a friend that has this procedure done annually, God bless that woman.  She said her eyes water and her toes curled.  I was not looking forward to this.  Plus, in all of my wonder, I youtubed the procedure.  NEVER EVER EVER YOUTUBE MEDICAL PROCEDURES!

I kept the room light with jokes about usually seeing my uterus in this room and how the doc had better get this done right the first time because it's pretty hard to find a willing friend to watch all four kids for free, ha!  Anyway, numbed me up he did and boy howdy it was a lovely pain followed by "Nope, don't feel a thing!" And then he started the procedure....

I sang every song in my head that I could think of acompanied by mental visions of puppies, cupcakes, and chocolate bars.  Lord Jesus help my find my happy place ALMIGHTY!  "Did you feel that?"  As if the nail marks on the chair and the fact my toes are curled up into my butt don't give it away.  "Yes sir, I did.  It was...uncomfortable."  Ok so he dosed me up with some more numbing love and poked away.  Oh- the doc pokes your lump with a needle REPEATIVELY to fill it up with bad mojo's cells. Good grief.  Finally, he just went at it with five needle pokes and got it done.  I really do believe that it was the lump that didn't want to cooperate in this mess and I do not place blame at all on my radiologist.  It's not his fault my psycho neck cells have an attitude.

A day in my life: Let's go to the doctor's office!

At the end of the day two days ago I sat in my recliner, nursed Emma, and thought to myself "Wow, I don't know how I do it either."  The days are long and short all at the same time.  They are tiring both physically (you try carrying a three year old, one year old, car seat, and groceries downstair during nap time!) and mentally.  How many times a day I say ELEANOR ANN, I do not know.

I decided to take all four kids in for their physical all at the same time.  There is a tremendous amount of isolated thunderstorms in our area right now, so you are either cold and wet or hot and humid.  Our appointment was at 4:00 and we took up the entire hour with all four kids all in a row.  I'm just setting up the scene for ya folks, hang with me.  I knew that this was going to be an interesting affair since I wasn't going to take in the sit and stand nor put Emma in a sling since when we arrived at the clinic it was 3:49 and pouring rain.  For the first time, I was early with all four on my own.  Granted Eleanor had no shoes on but that's the norm for us.

We have a pep talk in the minivan before we show the clinic what they are in for. 

Crazy woman with all those kids: LISTEN UP.  We are going to go see the doctor.

Ernest:  We coming home with a baby, mama?

Crazy woman with all those kids: Nope, we are going to have a checkup.  He's going to look you over, make sure everything is working fine, then we'll be done.  Easy!  No screaming, yelling, or running in the office!  THIS IS A WORK ENVIROMENT, NOT THE PARK.  Does everyone understand?

Everyone nodds in agreement.

Crazy woman with all those kids: Be respectful of the workers and other sick people here, got it?

Everyone nodds in agreement.

We commence unloading.  Eleanor is unbuckled and stands on the edge of the door while I unbuckle Ernest and get Emma's carseat out.  Eleanor is not trustworthy of staying close to me and will most likely dart into traffic like a scared deer.  Ernest has enough commonsense to not run around but will jump with excitment about being anywhere but at home, thus scaring nearby drivers which I am happy about because they all drive too darn fast in the parking lot anyway.  Ethan mozy's on out.  Hold Eleanors hand on the left, carry Emma on the right, Ernest and Ethan are holding hands, here we go.

Ernest: Mama, we go to da doctor?  Whhhhhhhy?

Crazy woman with all those kids: To make sure everything's working correctly on your body.  We don't want you to fall a part.

Ernest:  Oh.  (Serious look) Why?

Crazy woman with all those kids: Look Ernest!  There are fish in that water!
Questioning almost-three-year-old is now fixated on fish, I am now able to not have to answer yet another queestion.  Whew.

I am now standing in a way too long line in a hot and humid lobby with Eleanor trying to put on her shoes, Ethan asking what type of fish there are, Ernest screaming "Mama look!  LOOK!  A baby fish!" and Emma is starting to move around. Why is there NO AIR CONDITIONING!?!?

After fifteen minutes of "Here, sign here date there and promise not to sue for anything" I haul them all down the warmest hallway ever while carrying Eleanor (with still no shoes on), Emma in the other hand, Ethan carrying Eleanor's shoes, and Ernest running up and down ahead of me.  "What did I say in the minivan?  No running!" and he smiles his little smile and says "Ok mama" as he gallops off.


Ok, now I'm too tired to type.  In the end, Dr Jensen is holding Eleanor on a hip, the nurse is giving out stickers and books, and Emma fell asleep.  I'm hot. I'm sweating and sticky from this humidity.  Something smells like poop.  And I'm going to bed.  After I take a shower, do the dishes, wipe off the table, and make a trail to the bedroom.  It's just a season?


Note:
We have stopped immunizing our kids for the moment.  As in, let me get a better feeling about what I'm doing to my child before I take any further steps.  I don't mean to cause waves in the medical field, I do believe the majority of our nations doctors are doing what they feel is best for everyone.  That said- we did not poke anyone today. 

How to say "I love you" in the language of Crystal.

I finally took a "What's your love language" survey and low and behold Acts of Service is highest in the ranking.

9-Acts of Service
8-Quality Time
6-Recieving Gifts
4-Physical Touch
3-Words of Affirmation

From the Love Languages website, the Acts of Service explanation says the words I'd most like to hear are "Let me do that for you." That is amazing, Kendall said "Is there anything I can do for you?" and I about fell over.  It's true.  I do feel like I have plenty on my plate and if my mate would like to help alleviate the load, or at least make it more simple to accomplish, then I am all for it! However, "laziness, broken commitments, and making more work for them tell speakers of this language their feelings don't matter."  TALK ABOUT HITTING THE NAIL ON THE HEAD!  I have a hard time with Kendall having a Saturday of doing nothing, or not having a goal in mind for the day.  How can anyone sit and do nothing when there is so much to do?!  I see lots to do!  Not only is there the daily grind of laundry, dishes, and poopy diapers, but there is so much to see and do in the world!  We live down the street from a gorgeous wildlife refuge, let's go for a walk!  Let's build something! Let's do... anything!  Watching a movie in the middle of the day is completely aggrivating to me.  Taking a four hour nap makes me furious.  Even when I'm the one doing it, why'd you let me sleep so long!  Poor Kendall can't win sometimes.  I also believe I was raised in an enviroment where if you can physically work, then you will be working.  Mom rarely napped, even when we were little.  Mom rarely sat down!  Dad built things, fixed stuff, and was generally moving around until he became too sick.  Then he watched every episode of This Old House and  How Stuff Works. 

Quality time goes hand in hand with Acts of Service.  If I'm being helped in something that is meaningful to me, then we are spending quality time together.  For example, when Kendall is cleaning out a closet, and I'm folding laundry, this falls under Quality Time with a bonus of Acts of Service.  It's like he's saying "I know this closet has been bugging you and you are busy folding laundry, so I'm going to "Acts of Service" you and take care of this closet while you are folding laundry so we can "Quality Time"." Confused?  Also, I want us to all be together as much as possible.  I don't want Ethand playing video games, Ernest coloring, Kendall playing computer games, Eleanor making a mess, while I'm doing dishes.  Why can't we all play a game while the kids are awake, then I'll finish dishes while he puts them to bed, then we can watch a movie and hang out before we hit the hay?  This all makes perfect sense to me in my own world.

Gifts are a big deal to me three times a year.  I'm not going to lie, it's true.  My birthday, Mother's Day, Christmas.  Three times is not large task and I'm not asking for ruby slippers and a new Mercedes.  I like to celebrate life and the moments in them.  Birthday's are for celebrating the birth of that particular person and being grateful that person exisits and is in our lives.  I carefully choose presents for people for events, never leaving it to the last possible second.  And even then, it's thoughtfuly purchased with the full intention of the reciepent appreciating it.  Wowza.  So three times a year to think of something nice for me is so doable (in my world once again).  Bonus: going to the grocery store and picking up a single carnation from the floral department 'just because', coming home from the flea market with a plate that he thought I might like, etc.  These are all reason's I have four children.