Many thanks for your thoughts and prayers

The Lord has been good to us.  These last months I have been awash in the prayers of friends. God has given me a peace that passes understanding and while I don't completely understand why we lost our wee one, I know that one day we will meet that child in Glory.

It has been said that never is heaven so real than when you have a loved one that has gone there before you. This is so true! I lost my grandmother a month(almost to the day) before our baby died. So, I imagine grandma up there caring for my babe until I make it up there one day. I have no idea whether it works that way, but it's a comforting thought.

The last 6-7 months have been the most stressful our family  has gone through so far in our lives.  But the Lord has carried us through the storm and been with us all the way. There were days that I just wanted to wallow in grief, but He beckoned to me through the darkness and has brought me closer to Him.

I have learned some things about myself through this (not all of which I shall share online in the public domain). I have had my perspective on life changed and my view of the world around me sharpened a bit.  I have had certain things whittled away from my life(style) and hopefully I won't be trying to glue it all back on, because that just wouldn't be pretty. (Why do we try to put back what the Lord has taken from us? Wouldn't we rather be a masterpiece than a damaged piece of stone?)

In the midst of my grief, I was amazed at how the Lord made Himself known to me. The beauty of the world around me---the deep blue sky and bright pure white clouds nearly brought me to tears one day. Something we usually take for granted and don't even notice as we rush through daily life.

I need to take more time for the Lord and in His word, the Bible. There is so much to learn there.  There is much to be discovered in simply being still....and knowing He is God.  I am learning to listen for the still small voice of God in this busy world...and to do my best to do what He says.

I need to feed my soul...to me that very much includes music, reading/writing, creating, and finding time to be by myself.  Much as I love my family, I am an introvert and need that time alone to recharge.

I found it very healing one day as I was out near my plants and propagating...bringing new life from the old plants.  I enjoy gardening anyway, but found this act to be very symbolic. (I do that--see symbolism in things most people wouldn't notice. Don't know if it's just how I am, or if it's been ingrained in my with my English major education and reading and etc...)

I know this is all quite random, but I just wanted to post a little update. The Lord is at work--may we allow Him to do in us as He wishes!

As a friend posted the other day: If you are not willing that God should have his way with you, then, in the name of God, be miserable--until your misery drive you to the arms of the Father.

I find a lot of truth in that.

Please excuse my hiatus from the blog...

We lost the baby and I ended up having a D&C and am currently recovering from that. Also, the same week of the surgery, our computer broke down.
I hope to be back up and running and blogging more regularly soon!

Pregnancy, Hiatal Hernias and Pesky Old Mold

Yep, that about sums it up, folks!

My gastro symptoms skyrocketed even more last night and I finally took a Pepcid Complete, which did help.  That was a relief, since I was beginning to wonder if I was reacting to something allergy-wise and inching towards anaphlactic shock or something. I've never had that experience(nor do I ever want to) so I am not exactly sure what it is like.  So, yes, a relief when the Pepcid did some good.

I went in to the chiro/BioVeda doc today and told her all my sorrows. ;)
She determined that I had a hiatal hernia causing a lot of my problems and adjusted me for that. I got some relief from that immediately(Praise God!). From my understanding, the stomach is attached to the uterus, (among other things) and as the uterus is moving with the progression of the pregnancy, it is pulling things all akimbo and that is why it was getting worse. Glad to have that figured out!

I also picked up some Multizyme digestive enzymes, so hopefully in a few days my guts and I will be happy. :)

My allergic reactions that are here and there are to Pesky Old Mold. I did not get treated for it today. Instead, I am going to set the bowls of water around the house again and get an idea of what room(s) are safe for me to camp out at after my next treatment(for the other rooms/areas).

Fall Allergies....They're Baaaack!

Yesterday was the first cool fallish day.  It was the first day that, according to Pollen.com, Ragweed, Grasses and Nettles are almost in full pollination mode. And it's only supposed to get worse the next few days. :(

Yesterday was the first day that my allergies were really beginning to bother me. This is good in view that yesterday the pollen count was at a 9.4 on a scale of 12. Before AAT and BioAllergenix/BioVeda, if it was even registering, I was reacting.  A few nights ago, I started taking one Benadryl before bed because I would wake up in the night with my throat itching. We have a box fan in the window and something must pollinate at night. If anyone has any ideas what it might be, please tell me!

Last night was the pits--I took 2 Benadryl because my sinuses were completely clogged and the Neilmed Sinus Rinse bottle couldn't break through. (I should have started earlier with the bottle...it usually works like a charm)  I woke up a lot with the itchy throat/runny nose. I find that if I can get a handle on it and not rub my throat with my tongue(how's that for a word picture?), it helps it not to get worse.  Sort of a mind over matter thing.   If I give in to the urge, it gets much worse and spreads to my ears itching and more copious drainage. Grrr.

I am going in tomorrow for some muscle testing/treatment. I had originally made the appt to see if there could be something done about this weird feeling in my throat that I think is due to reflux/acid from the pregnancy and possibly a response to my toothpaste or our water.... Guess we'll see what we can find out about the pollen, too, although I have no idea how I can successfully avoid it when the air is practically saturated with it.

I have a feeling that whatever the pollen is that I'm reacting to, is something I've had problems with my whole life. Something, like the tomato problems I still have(though they are now very minor), I will likely deal with my whole life to some degree.

In the meantime, I took a Claritin this morning to hopefully take the edge off.

How the Chickens are Doing....and an Announcement

Well, we have returned from the trip to Colorado for my grandmother's funeral.

The new chicken pen/tractor thing worked out ok for the attacking rooster problem, but I still prefer to have them out in the big pen/coop where they can run around more and eat more bugs/vegetation/scraps and they don't make a mess of their water.

We shall see what happens with it. So far, I have declared dh to be the chicken caretaker because....


I am pregnant! I decided that my stomach cannot handle concentrated chicken poo smell at this time.

I don't know whether this pregnancy will be any different than my other 3 pregnancies, what with the allergies being treated and all.  I have not gone to the doc yet, but plan to bring up my prior allergy experiences.  Although I have done well with most things for months now, I really hesitate to get pumped up full of corny junk from the IV's (all but the pure saline contain corn). The last birth I did naturally, so I (think) I am going to try going that route again.....(although the epidural is sooooo tempting!). The natural route will minimize exposure to corn, that is for sure.

And no, I really am not entertaining home birth as an option, and there are no birthing centers near enough to do me any good.