This is standard anytime we get together...
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Foam Run and Friends
Last weekend, it started to officially feel like Spring outside. Saturday morning started out with the husband and I driving down to Atlanta Motor Speedway so he could participate in the Foam Run. This was basically a 5K obstacle course with all sorts of yuck in between. This was something he was originally going to do with some KLife guys, but after they cancelled, he ran it solo while I cheered from the sideline. It's also worth mentioning that he came in second in his round.
After we made it home and he got cleaned up, we met up with some friends at one of our favorite spots in Atlanta called Land of a Thousand Hills Coffee House. I posted about it almost a year ago here. We spent some time soaking up the sun along the river and then went back to the McGuires to celebrate my friend Andrea's birthday.
Thursday, March 14, 2013
To be continued
I strongly dislike those three words. In movies, TV shows, books..... it always means the same thing. You have to wait. Until the sequel comes out, until the next season begins or until the next book is written. When I see those three words, I feel stuck. Powerless in my ability to move forward and continue the story.
Recently, this is also how we've felt in our real life. Our friends and family already know this, but we found out on Feb. 28 that I'd had another miscarriage at 8 weeks. I haven't written about this topic in quite a while on here, mainly because there hasn't been much to write about. But here is how we got to this point.
After my second miscarriage in January 2012, we began to see a reproductive endocrinologist. She ran a panel of blood tests, testing for the most common causes of recurrent miscarriage. The results were pretty inconclusive. I did test positive for MTHFR, but I also tested negative for all of the clotting issues that usually come with that. Basically, 40% of women will test positive for MTHFR and never know it, because it typically will not cause any problems. Because of this, my doctor really does not believe this is the cause of the miscarriages. She started me on an extra 4mg of folic acid daily and as a precaution, she wanted me on blood thinners for any future pregnancies. So last Spring, with mostly good results, we were hopeful of what was to come.
After a couple months, I ended up with a positive pregnancy test in July 2012, but this ended up being a chemical pregnancy. Meaning, I went in for a blood test on a Monday and by Wednesday, my hcg level was already falling. This basically means I was about 4.5 weeks pregnant. Most women would not even realize they were pregnant and just chalk it up to a late period; but medically, it counts as a very early miscarriage. Because of this, my doctor wanted to be sure my body was producing enough hormones from the beginning of my cycle to sustain future pregnancies. The next time we began trying, Clomid would be added into the mix. Clomid is typically used to induce ovulation, but it also tricks your body into thinking your hormone levels are low so that it overcompensates by producing extra hormones- namely progesterone.
After July, we decided to take a break through the end of the year. I started Clomid in January 2013 and found out I was pregnant on January 29. At that point, my doctor started me on daily baby aspirin, progesterone and lovenox injections (self-administered) in addition to my normal prenatal vitamins and extra dose of folic acid. All of this was still basically precautionary, as my previous test results were negative. I had ultrasounds at 6wks and 7 wks. At both of which, we were able to hear and see a fairly strong heartbeat. Combine that with the fact that I felt different this time and I was on an army of meds, we were very hopeful. Over the past four weeks, I took care of myself, sat out the big rides in Disney World and anxiously began counting down to October 5th. It was at my 8 wk ultrasound on Feb. 28, that we learned our little one had joined his or her siblings in Heaven and I had my second D&C on March 4.
While the last couple of weeks have been hard, we have felt overwhelmingly loved by sweet friends and family in the form of texts, emails, meals delivered and our house cleaned while we were at the beach. We managed to escape to Hilton Head for four nights shortly after my surgery for some much-needed R&R. Our immediate next steps are to wait on the results from the genetic testing of this pregnancy and then Dustin and I will have genetic testing done on ourselves. We hadn't done this before, because it will more than likely not find anything; but we're at that point now. Once we get those results, we'll need to start making decisions about how we want to proceed. If genetic test results are all negative, my doctor will most likely tell us that we can try again with the same combination of drugs, because pregnancy is really a numbers game and the numbers tell us that even most women who have had 4+ miscarriages for unknown reasons still have a 70% chance of carrying a healthy pregnancy in the future (which is about the same as someone who has never had a miscarriage). There are also some much more medically involved options that I will get into later if we start looking into them.
So here we are... with our story still to be continued. While it could be very easy for me to be angry with God and throw myself a never ending pity party, we are still choosing hope. Right now, neither of us has a strong desire for me to be pregnant anytime soon. We are praying about our next steps and ultimately still hopeful about what God has in store for our family. We know that He is so much bigger than we imagine Him to be and loves us immensely more than we realize. This breaks His heart as well and He has lavishly poured out His comfort and grace. We know that our babies are being cared for by their Heavenly Father and we will get to meet them one day. Until then, we are choosing to be faithful to this life He's called us to live and taking each step as it comes.
Recently, this is also how we've felt in our real life. Our friends and family already know this, but we found out on Feb. 28 that I'd had another miscarriage at 8 weeks. I haven't written about this topic in quite a while on here, mainly because there hasn't been much to write about. But here is how we got to this point.
After my second miscarriage in January 2012, we began to see a reproductive endocrinologist. She ran a panel of blood tests, testing for the most common causes of recurrent miscarriage. The results were pretty inconclusive. I did test positive for MTHFR, but I also tested negative for all of the clotting issues that usually come with that. Basically, 40% of women will test positive for MTHFR and never know it, because it typically will not cause any problems. Because of this, my doctor really does not believe this is the cause of the miscarriages. She started me on an extra 4mg of folic acid daily and as a precaution, she wanted me on blood thinners for any future pregnancies. So last Spring, with mostly good results, we were hopeful of what was to come.
After a couple months, I ended up with a positive pregnancy test in July 2012, but this ended up being a chemical pregnancy. Meaning, I went in for a blood test on a Monday and by Wednesday, my hcg level was already falling. This basically means I was about 4.5 weeks pregnant. Most women would not even realize they were pregnant and just chalk it up to a late period; but medically, it counts as a very early miscarriage. Because of this, my doctor wanted to be sure my body was producing enough hormones from the beginning of my cycle to sustain future pregnancies. The next time we began trying, Clomid would be added into the mix. Clomid is typically used to induce ovulation, but it also tricks your body into thinking your hormone levels are low so that it overcompensates by producing extra hormones- namely progesterone.
After July, we decided to take a break through the end of the year. I started Clomid in January 2013 and found out I was pregnant on January 29. At that point, my doctor started me on daily baby aspirin, progesterone and lovenox injections (self-administered) in addition to my normal prenatal vitamins and extra dose of folic acid. All of this was still basically precautionary, as my previous test results were negative. I had ultrasounds at 6wks and 7 wks. At both of which, we were able to hear and see a fairly strong heartbeat. Combine that with the fact that I felt different this time and I was on an army of meds, we were very hopeful. Over the past four weeks, I took care of myself, sat out the big rides in Disney World and anxiously began counting down to October 5th. It was at my 8 wk ultrasound on Feb. 28, that we learned our little one had joined his or her siblings in Heaven and I had my second D&C on March 4.
While the last couple of weeks have been hard, we have felt overwhelmingly loved by sweet friends and family in the form of texts, emails, meals delivered and our house cleaned while we were at the beach. We managed to escape to Hilton Head for four nights shortly after my surgery for some much-needed R&R. Our immediate next steps are to wait on the results from the genetic testing of this pregnancy and then Dustin and I will have genetic testing done on ourselves. We hadn't done this before, because it will more than likely not find anything; but we're at that point now. Once we get those results, we'll need to start making decisions about how we want to proceed. If genetic test results are all negative, my doctor will most likely tell us that we can try again with the same combination of drugs, because pregnancy is really a numbers game and the numbers tell us that even most women who have had 4+ miscarriages for unknown reasons still have a 70% chance of carrying a healthy pregnancy in the future (which is about the same as someone who has never had a miscarriage). There are also some much more medically involved options that I will get into later if we start looking into them.
So here we are... with our story still to be continued. While it could be very easy for me to be angry with God and throw myself a never ending pity party, we are still choosing hope. Right now, neither of us has a strong desire for me to be pregnant anytime soon. We are praying about our next steps and ultimately still hopeful about what God has in store for our family. We know that He is so much bigger than we imagine Him to be and loves us immensely more than we realize. This breaks His heart as well and He has lavishly poured out His comfort and grace. We know that our babies are being cared for by their Heavenly Father and we will get to meet them one day. Until then, we are choosing to be faithful to this life He's called us to live and taking each step as it comes.
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Ready for Spring
Sometimes I take pride in the fact that I actually enjoy cold weather. I like wearing coats and scarves. I like sitting by the fire and I love snow. Whenever the husband and I travel to places like Boston, New York or Chicago, I always think to myself "I could totally live here". I love the thought of big city life with a snowy winter. Well, the reality is, I do like the cold.. but only temporarily it seems. As we are looking at March 1st tomorrow with a high in the 40's, I find myself very ready for some warmer temps, flowers and spring clothes. Here are some things I'm looking forward to most.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Mystery Trip 2013
This past weekend was a first for K-Life. We took 9 high schoolers on a "Mystery Trip"... meaning they loaded up on the bus Friday afternoon not knowing where we were going- only that we would be back Monday. About two hours into the trip at a Chick-fil-a dinner stop, we let everyone know that we were going to Disney World! We stayed at the Orlando K-Life house and spent Saturday at New Smyrna Beach and Sunday at 3 out of the 4 Disney parks. Here are some pictures from our trip.
We set the bar pretty high for next year's trip. Luckily, there is a year to plan...
Our ride. The official K-Life "park 'n fly" affectionately known as "Pat". There is always some confusion regarding whether it's a bus or a van...
Sitting in glorious Atlanta traffic on a Friday
Saturday morning pancake breakfast and devo
The ladies at our Saturday night dinner at Kobe Steakhouse. YUM.
We set the bar pretty high for next year's trip. Luckily, there is a year to plan...
Monday, February 11, 2013
Slow Cooker Chicken Stroganoff
There's nothing better than coming home from work on a cold day and having a warm dinner waiting for you. I've been making this for quite some time and it always hits the spot. It is so so easy, doesn't involve a lot of ingredients and tastes so yummy.
Slow Cooker Chicken Stroganoff
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 can cream of mushroom soup (I use Campbell's healthy request)
1 container of Philly cooking cream (I usually use the plain, but they were out of that so I used the Italian herb and cheese)
1 packet of Italian dressing mix
1 container of mushrooms of your choice (I used sliced white)
1/3 cup chicken broth
1/2 bag of egg noodles (I actually used no yolk noodles)
Directions
1. Place chicken on the bottom of your slow cooker and pour soup, chicken broth and dressing mix on top. Cook on low for 5-6 hours.
2. Once the chicken is cooked, coarsely shred with two forks. Mix in the Philly cooking cream and mushrooms. Cook on high for another 30 min or so.
3. Cook the egg noodles according to package directions.
4. Serve the chicken mushroom mixture over the noodles. I usually serve alongside some easy steamed veggies.
Enjoy!
Slow Cooker Chicken Stroganoff
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 can cream of mushroom soup (I use Campbell's healthy request)
1 container of Philly cooking cream (I usually use the plain, but they were out of that so I used the Italian herb and cheese)
1 packet of Italian dressing mix
1 container of mushrooms of your choice (I used sliced white)
1/3 cup chicken broth
1/2 bag of egg noodles (I actually used no yolk noodles)
Directions
1. Place chicken on the bottom of your slow cooker and pour soup, chicken broth and dressing mix on top. Cook on low for 5-6 hours.
2. Once the chicken is cooked, coarsely shred with two forks. Mix in the Philly cooking cream and mushrooms. Cook on high for another 30 min or so.
3. Cook the egg noodles according to package directions.
4. Serve the chicken mushroom mixture over the noodles. I usually serve alongside some easy steamed veggies.
Enjoy!
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Chicken Pot Pie
All of this cold and rainy weather we've been having lately has really gotten me in the mood for some comfort food. This recipe is super easy and definitely healthier than your typical frozen version.
Chicken Pot Pie
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 pk pre-made frozen pie crusts (contains two; I used an organic brand from Publix. You can make your own crust if you'd like)
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup (I used Campbell's healthy request)
- 1 can cream of chicken soup (I used Campbell's healthy request)
- 1/3 cup low fat sour cream
- 1 bag frozen mixed veggies
- 1/2 sweet onion chopped
- poultry seasoning, salt and pepper to taste
Directions
1. Place chicken in crock pot and and pour soups on top. Season with poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. Cook on low for 5-6 hours.
2. Shred the chicken with two forks and mix in the veggies, onion and sour cream until blended. Cook on low for about another hour and a half.
3. Pre-heat the oven to 400 and allow the pie crusts to thaw out of the freezer for about 10 min.
4. Fill one pie crust with the chicken/veg mixture and top with the other pie crust. I poured a little low fat melted butter on top once it was sealed. Also, cut a few slits in the top so the steam can get out. Bake at 400 for about 45 min or until the crust is golden.
Enjoy!
Chicken Pot Pie
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 pk pre-made frozen pie crusts (contains two; I used an organic brand from Publix. You can make your own crust if you'd like)
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup (I used Campbell's healthy request)
- 1 can cream of chicken soup (I used Campbell's healthy request)
- 1/3 cup low fat sour cream
- 1 bag frozen mixed veggies
- 1/2 sweet onion chopped
- poultry seasoning, salt and pepper to taste
Directions
1. Place chicken in crock pot and and pour soups on top. Season with poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. Cook on low for 5-6 hours.
2. Shred the chicken with two forks and mix in the veggies, onion and sour cream until blended. Cook on low for about another hour and a half.
3. Pre-heat the oven to 400 and allow the pie crusts to thaw out of the freezer for about 10 min.
4. Fill one pie crust with the chicken/veg mixture and top with the other pie crust. I poured a little low fat melted butter on top once it was sealed. Also, cut a few slits in the top so the steam can get out. Bake at 400 for about 45 min or until the crust is golden.
Enjoy!
Monday, February 4, 2013
Bacon Caprese Pasta
So I was originally going to make just caprese pasta, but when I opened the refrigerator- the bacon was staring me in the face just begging to be eaten. I love bacon, I really do, but I tossed it in the pasta with a bit of uncertainty. Let me tell you, I am so glad I did. It was oh. so. yummy.
Bacon Caprese Pasta
1/2 lb of linguine (1/2 box)
1 small carton of grape tomatoes
1 ball of fresh mozzarella (about the size of a baseball) chopped into small pieces
2 handfuls of fresh basil chopped
4 pieces of bacon cooked and crumbled
2 cloves of fresh garlic
1/2 cup white wine
EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) for drizzling and coating the pasta
Directions
1. Heat some EVOO in a large saute pan.
2. Add the garlic and tomatoes and cook on low/med for 5-7 min. Once the tomatoes begin to cook through, use a wooden spoon and smoosh them until they pop. Be careful not to completely crush them, as you just want to let the juices out.
3. Meanwhile bring a large pot of nicely salted water to a boil and cook your linguine until slightly firmer than al dente (about 5 min).
4. Add the white wine to the tomatoes and gently stir through. Cook for another 3-4 min.
5. Once the pasta is cooked, drain and add it to your large saute pan with the tomato/wine sauce.
6. Toss the pasta in the sauce until nicely coated. This is where you can add some EVOO as needed if the pasta is sticking.
7. Once thoroughly combined, sprinkle the bacon, basil and chopped mozzarella on top. Cover and Let cook on low for about 3-4 min until everything is heated through.
Serve with fresh parmesan and enjoy!
Bacon Caprese Pasta
1/2 lb of linguine (1/2 box)
1 small carton of grape tomatoes
1 ball of fresh mozzarella (about the size of a baseball) chopped into small pieces
2 handfuls of fresh basil chopped
4 pieces of bacon cooked and crumbled
2 cloves of fresh garlic
1/2 cup white wine
EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) for drizzling and coating the pasta
Directions
1. Heat some EVOO in a large saute pan.
2. Add the garlic and tomatoes and cook on low/med for 5-7 min. Once the tomatoes begin to cook through, use a wooden spoon and smoosh them until they pop. Be careful not to completely crush them, as you just want to let the juices out.
3. Meanwhile bring a large pot of nicely salted water to a boil and cook your linguine until slightly firmer than al dente (about 5 min).
4. Add the white wine to the tomatoes and gently stir through. Cook for another 3-4 min.
5. Once the pasta is cooked, drain and add it to your large saute pan with the tomato/wine sauce.
6. Toss the pasta in the sauce until nicely coated. This is where you can add some EVOO as needed if the pasta is sticking.
7. Once thoroughly combined, sprinkle the bacon, basil and chopped mozzarella on top. Cover and Let cook on low for about 3-4 min until everything is heated through.
Serve with fresh parmesan and enjoy!
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