Long Overdue Updates

I apologize for not updating this in so long. I have been living under a rock called "morning sickness" the past few months! Things are slowly improving. Mornings are still dicey, but that's small potatoes compared to constant nausea, vomiting, and exhaustion!

Since moving into our apartment and the initial busy time of unpacking, hosting Charlotte's birthday party, and the yard sale and bake sale, not much has been accomplished otherwise! Our children have presumedly lost some brain cells watching "Wee Sing in Sillyville" and other videos countless times, while I've been sick. The autumn leaves have come and gone, and the deep chill of winter is starting to set in. I can hardly believe we'll celebrate Thanksgiving next week, and then we'll launch into the Christmas festivities.

We've been on the GAPS journey for nearly nine months now. Charlotte's been -mostly- stable. I have not been able to pay as much attention to her supplements, etc. as we've been functioning in survival mode. She is mainly eating beef, turkey, venison, and sweet potatoes. She has been tolerating leek and celery boiled along with her broth.

We have tried carrots and they seem to be agreeing with her although she will hardly ever eat them. I have trouble figuring out whether she avoids foods that bother her tummy or whether she doesn't like the taste or texture. I'm not pushing it, but continuing to offer them to her. We trialed carrots quite a few times since starting GAPS, and each previous time they made her immediately react. This time she isn't getting any outward signs of intolerance and the carrots haven't kept her up at night in pain. So that's progress! I have to remind myself of these little victories.

We have been juggling Charlotte's foods also, which has been complicating things. We ran out of her beef about a month ago and have been waiting to get some that we ordered from a family friend. The local farm we've purchased from before has been out of beef too. We were given about 15 packages of mule deer, whitetail deer, and moose meat from my stepdad's cousin who is a big hunter. While this has been a helpful interim, she is also reacting mildly to the moose and mule deer. I have had to ignore some of her mild reactions simply because we don't have another safer option right now. We have been told that if she is showing reactions through her skin that is an indicator of the internal inflammation we can't see. It's best to avoid things like this, but some times you just have to do the best you can. I am thankful she is only having skin reactions and irritability rather than sleepless nights, but still, I'll be glad when we have her safe standbys!

My brother has been so generous at sharing their venison. Not only is that a safe food for her, but it's her absolute favorite! I really think she loves Uncle Kevin so much because she knows he gives her deer meat! Every time I see him I don't mention anything, but he will give us a few more packages just in the nick of time when we need meat for Charlotte. As often as I can, I've been out hunting with Kevin trying to get a deer for our freezer. I have been trying to go out on Saturdays and some afternoons when Kevin gets out of work. One of my nieces got her deer opening day, which has been perfect because she loaned me her hunting gear and she's been watching the kids at their house so I can hunt! Talk about a blessing! I took the safety course a few months ago, so this is my first year going out. Kevin has a lot of land and he's been great about getting me more comfortable hunting. We have jumped some walking in and out, and I had a great opportunity to get a doe, but I don't have a doe permit. I'm still waiting (and praying for!) a nice big buck!

Even tonight we used the very last package of meat and I got a message from my cousin who found a bunch of deer meat in her deep freezer that they didn't want. I went right over to pick it up. God is really, really good. He provides what we need, when we need it. I am just so in awe of this lately. Even with little things- our van's been needing an oil change and our engine light came on the other day. While visiting CJ's grandparents, his grandpa asked if we would like a free oil change coupon he found. These little tokens of generosity are speaking to my overwhelmed heart, reminding me over and over of God's reassuring presence and love for us.

Parker's behavior and attitude have been very challenging lately. This has been all consuming. I will leave it at that. We would appreciate prayers about this- and for wisdom, patience, and energy to deal with this. I trust God will help me through all things, and this just goes to show me how much I do NEED God to help me. Even reading over this blog post, I can tell I'm not as chipper as I should be. I just feel totally spent lately- like I'm bobbing in the water, clinging to my buoy (Christ). The waters have been rough!

CJ's job is going very well, and as he tells everyone, he's "not bored!" I think the school is a good fit for him. He is continuing to do drill weekends with the Marines in Massachusetts and look into more opportunities with the Reserves.

I'm thankful for my healthy pregnancy- Baby has been very active and his/her heartbeat has been nice and strong. I am excited about the midwife practice I'm going to. My belly is "popping" and I'm enjoying feeling my littlest one wiggling about. I'm 17.5 weeks, so time is passing! Baby is about 5 inches now. We have our big ultrasound scheduled for the beginning of December, but we're hoping to keep the gender a mystery till he/she is born. Now to decide on some names- Parker has lots of suggestions, including "Achan" (one of the spies who went to Jerico) or "Sneaky." He's convinced it's a boy, and so is CJ. My guess is girl, but I'm not sure I can trust my instincts since I was wrong with both Parker and Charlotte! :)

We are all settled into our new apartment (aside from hanging some pictures and organizing the tornado-like attic!) We had to invest in a new water filter called a Berkey to eliminate the gunk in our town water (fluoride, chlorine, etc) that Charlotte is not supposed to have. We also had to get an air purifier and had the landlord change our air filters. Our duplex neighbors are smokers and we had an issue of smoke transferring in here through our heat vents. Thankfully we have not had any more problems with that since. The first month we lived here the kids and I were constantly waking up at night coughing. The night after using the purifier and having the vents cleaned we slept without a tickle in our throats. Trying to cut down on all the environmental toxins is one way we can really support Charlotte's system- since the less work her body is doing processing and try to get rid of these toxins, the more her body can focus on healing and digesting her food properly. Things like water and air quality might not seem like a big deal, but to someone as sensitive as Charlotte, they truly are. I'm grateful we had the funding to be able to purchase these things.

We're enjoying being near family and having some folks to call upon when we need a visit or some help. I've made some pitiful pleas lately and my mom and Judy have been quick to rescue me with kid help, errand-running, even washing my dishes, etc! We've even had friends bring CJ dinner! (Poor guy hasn't had much in the line of home-cooked meals lately!) We have met some great new friends through the homeschool group I joined and have been enjoying some playdates with like-minded Christian friends. Parker and Charlotte love their cousin-time, and library storytime too. We're slowly getting into a routine. I'd like to get going on some more homeschool activities but thus far motivation has not = energy levels!

We have been collecting things for our Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes. The kids have helped me fill them with things they might like to get. As Christmas nears we're trying hard to get them focused on others and giving vs. getting. I am making Jesse Tree ornaments to do an Advent calendar with them this year. Each day up till Christmas they get to open a new ornament and we will read Scriptures that will take them from the Creation of the world up through Jesus' birth. It's been humbling to be on the receiving end so often lately, and I wish I had more time/energy/resources to give back. I hope the kids will realize the joy of giving and be appreciative of all we are blessed with!

I still need to upload photos and share about the AMAZING fund-raisers we had. But I'll have to save that for another day! I have about 30 thank you cards also waiting to be written out. We just cannot express how grateful we are for God's provision, grace, and the beautiful hearts of folks who have been so kind to help us, pray for us, and encourage us through all of this. We have so much to be thankful for!