Mama Overnight

Monday, May 19, 2014

Adoption, Foster Care, and Pregnancy!

Adoption, Foster Care, and now Pregnancy!

Just typing the title made me exhausted! Lol If you have been following my other post you will know that me being pregnant was a huge shock to us!

To recap, we are in the process of finalizing the adoption with our daughter, just had her now two month brother move in, and am pregnant!

I have never been so exhausted in my life! Lol

Having all the trouble I do and with my history, this is considered a High Risk Pregnancy. I had an ultrasound done at 7 weeks and everything looked good. They did however see a small amount of blood in my uterus as well as around my current cyst. The doctor told us that lots of woman can have blood around the fetus and most of the time it will go away on its own. He also said that in the past the doctors would say that it increases the chances of miscarriage but he said that this is not accurate.

My next ultrasound will be at the end of this month. I feel pregnant and boy am I nauseous all the time! Lol I pray the baby still looks healthy in the next ultrasound.

It's so hard to even share with people that I am pregnant because of the last abnormal pregnancy but I feel that it's important to share the entire process. As exciting or difficult as it may be.

Well as always thanks for reading!

Oh! I almost forgot! Here is a photo we took as an announcement :)

Beth

Saturday, April 26, 2014

My Story: Chapter 2

Hi all!

I'm just going to jump right into this where I left off before.

Our adoption of our beautiful little girl is still going strong. We are hoping to finalize things in the next few months to make it all official! We could not be more excited!

She is such a blessing to our little family, I'm so happy that God chose to place her into our lives and into our home.

Now to share what's new:

Five weeks ago we moved in a three week old baby boy. As with our daughters case, we cannot provide any details surrounding this case. I will, however, share that he is our daughters half brother. This is the reason we agreed to care for this precious baby.

I know there are lots of questions but I have to answer most with I don't know or I can't share. We don't know what God has in store for us or what the future holds. If he becomes available for adoption, we will happily welcome him into our family. If he leaves us, we will care and love on him until then.

It is our prayer that this little guy be raised in a loving Christian household where he will be safe and nurtured. We pray that whatever happens be in the best interest of him not all of the adults involved.

Now let me just share I have a new respect for moms! Lol We have never cared for a newborn for more than a few hours at a time. We moved this little guy in as a preemie and boy is he a tiny little thing! I have learned how to assist him eating to help him drop his tounge, how to keep his body temp at 98 at all times, and how to function on 4-5 hours of sleep! :) Luckily I have a LOT of support! We have people who have allowed me to get naps in, have prepared meals, bought diapers, and even done my dishes!

We are learning as we go and googling the rest! Lol

Well that is all for now, thanks for letting me share!

Beth

Sunday, March 16, 2014

Taco soup

Hi all,

It's a cold and windy day today. I woke up this morning wanting to make soup. I went through the pantry, produce, and freezer and decided to make taco soup.

Yesterday I picked up a basket of produce from bountiful baskets and am looking forward to making use of all the produce!

To make taco soup I would usually use a can of Rotel tomatoes, however I read that it "may contain milk" on the can, who knew?! Today I will be using fresh tomatoes and green chilies! This should make my soup taste a lot fresher and it will definetly have less sodium using fresh vs. canned!

Here is the green pepper incase you are unsure at the store:

Here is what I use in mine:

1lb hamburger meat

1 small onion

1 tomato

1 green chili pepper

1 can of sweet corn

1 can of red beans

Garlic powder

Cummin

Chili powder

Onion powder

Salt

Adobo chili powder(optional)

Red crushed pepper

( to save time, you can use a package of taco seasoning, I just choose to make my own)

First I brown my meat and remove from pan. I then sauté my onion and diced green chili pepper. ( I sauté in olive oil because I need to cook dairy free) I cook all together for 2-3 minutes or until the onion starts to carmalize.

Next I add the meat, 1/2 cup of water, diced tomato and seasonings. I typically start with about 1tbs each seasoning except the red pepper. I simmer these together for 5minutes.

Then I add the corn in its liquid and the beans in its liquid to the pan. I then add an additional 2 cans of water to the pot. I buy salt free veggies but the beans will be salted. If you need a low sodium meal, rince and drain your corn and beans.

I always simmer mine on low for at least an hour or sometimes all day in the crockpot on low while I am at work.

The longer it cooks, the more flavor it is going to have. Continue to add seasoning to taste.

It is finished!

If you want to top it off, I use cheese and sour cream. You can also use raw onion, jalepeno, cilantro etc.

****Now for those of you who are not on a dairy free diet- I used to add 4oz sour cream and 8oz of velveta to my taco soup :) it makes it a lot creamier. We just add it on top now to keep it allergy free for our little one. ( the photo above Is a pic of the soup once we added sour cream and velveta, little bit was not feeling well and couldn't eat soup tonight)

Enjoy!!

Beth

Saturday, March 15, 2014

Bountiful Baskets

Hi!

We decided to try out Bountiful Baskets this weekend. I was looking for a food co-op when a friend told me about this one. I was impressed! It is $15 for each basket. With the little ones allergies, we have been buying a lot more fruits And veggies, which sure adds up! I haven't decided if we will purchase one a week or one every other week, there was a lot there though. Here is the pic of what we got today:

This is how I chose to store the fruits and veggies that do not need refrigeration. This way I will see them and be reminded to eat them!

Here is the link:

http://bountifulbaskets.org

If you are part of a co-op or group that you enjoy let me know!! I'm looking for one that does fresh meat!

I am also going to start posting recipes from the produce I recieve from BB :)

Have a great day!

Beth

Saturday, March 8, 2014

Dye free diet

Good morning,

So our little one cannot have any red dye or yellow dye in her diet. ( or milk but that's a whole different story! Lol) Let me tell you- it is in everything! We have to read the backs of everything before we can purchase it. It Is in juice, fruit snacks, packaged meal starters, frozen dinners, sweets, candy, jelly/jam, soups, seasonings...etc.

Here is what you are looking for to avoid:

It is also in children's medicine to help flavor it. Here is what to look for:

I have done a lot of research on it and a lot of doctors say that it is a lot healthier for you and your children if you eliminate dyes regardless if you have an allergy or intolerance to it.

We now eat a lot of whole foods- meat fresh veggies and fresh fruit.

The hardest thing we have encountered are the sweets! It is in most store bought cookies, icing, snacks..etc.

We have to bring snacks with us to birthday parties because there is almost always coloring in the cake. Even chocolate cake with chocolate icing! Makes no sence to me either!

We have found several snacks that she enjoys that do not contain dye:

I am on the hunt for a good vegan cookbook or organic cookbook. From what I have read, neither should use any dye!

Candy is also our HUGE hurtle. She is little so everyone gives her candy! It's hard to take it from her because we know she cannot eat it. I have recently found a online candy store that sells dye free candy that I will order from at Easter!

https://www.naturalcandystore.com