7 Quick Takes (3)

1

Wow!  It's been awhile since I've updated the old blog.  I'm back.  Hoping to get some posts up soon!

2

My MIL is visitng us.  She arrived this week and will be here for 10 days.  Then she goes to Canada for 2 weeks, one of which we will be visiting her on our vacation.  Then she's back with us for a week before heading home.  Pray for us all.  It's tough having so many adults under one tiny roof.

3

Junior is picking up some serious Spanish having his grandma here.  It's cute listening to him mispronounce words in Spanish :-)

4

Well, the house hunt is going.  Slowly.  We are going to see some more houses on Saturday.  I'm tired of looking already and just want to find the right house for our family.

5

I've been looking for a really great Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie recipe.  I haven't been able to find one that is quite what I want and I've been looking for more than 4 years.  I think I'm going to have to develop my own recipe...anyone up for tastings?

6

We were are the zoo today and Junior was laughing at me because "Those darn bees making you dance!"  Yes, I am really afraid of bees and the bees were making me dance and I jumped around like a fool trying to get them away from us.  Ugh!  That's why I don't eat outside. 

7

Family picnic tomorrow with my mom's side of the family.  Looking forward to seeing everyone!  They live on the other end of the metro area and are a good 1 hour away.  It's always nice to get the cousins together and let the kids wear each other out!

Check out more Quick Takes at Conversion Diary!

Our Son

Conceiving our son was so easy.  Maybe even too easy.  We had been married about 9 months and using NFP to avoid a pregnancy as we settled into married life and into new jobs.  Our chart clearly indicated that we were fertile, and we hadn’t actually decided to “try”, but we decided to leave it up to God.  We were open to life and if that is what God wanted for us at that time, we were happy to accept the blessing.  And that was that.

Almost 2 weeks later, I had a regular appointment with my Endocrinologist and brought my charts along to talk with her about my borderline short luteal phases (9 days).  When I told her I wanted to talk about that, but suspected that I was pregnant, she just drew blood and said she’d call me.  On Monday she called to confirm my pregnancy, but we had already taken a home pregnancy test over the weekend and knew we were!  And we were over the moon!  I was due on Christmas day.

I called my OB’s office to make my first appointment.  They wanted to see me between 8 and 10 weeks.  For some reason I was very nervous about having a miscarriage and scheduled my appointment for 10 weeks and I even asked what I should do if I miscarried.  When the first appointment finally rolled around, we got an ultrasound and saw the tiny baby swinging and kicking.  It was the most amazing sight I had ever seen.

My pregnancy progressed easily.  No morning sickness; one short weekend of heartburn & burping; a nearly failed 1 hour glucose tolerance test; a totally failed 1 hour glucose tolerance test a few weeks later; a completely failed 3 hour glucose tolerance test.  I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes and took a pill in the evenings to help lower my morning sugars.  Except for the GD, my pregnancy was textbook.  Starting at 32 weeks, I got to have a weekly ultrasound to check on the baby.  We didn’t know if we were having a boy or a girl and the ultrasound technicians did a great job of keeping the secret from us.

Finally in early December, the baby was estimated to be just under 8 lbs. and was gaining weight rapidly.  Too rapidly.  They estimated the baby would be over 10.5 lbs by the due date.  At my last doctor appointment, the doctor checked me and was surprised to find that I was +5 cm dilated.  She asked if I had been having contractions and I told her I thought I had had one the previous Sunday.  She was shocked since a few days earlier I was dilated only a fingertip.

The doctors decided they would induce labor on December 10^th provided the baby’s lungs were mature.  On December 9^th, I went to have an amniocentesis done and found that the lungs were mature, so we were a go for the next day.

We arrived to labor & delivery at 7:00am the next morning and in triage did another ultrasound estimating that the baby was about 7.5 lbs.  I told them they were wrong, the baby was 8 lbs. 4 oz. today based on my calculations from my last ultrasound.  They just laughed at my precision calculations and said that their ultrasound measurements were usually right on.

As we settled into our labor and delivery room, I had a panic attack and informed Mr. Amen that I no longer wanted to have a baby and that I wanted him to take me home immediately.  He politely informed me that it was too late for second thoughts now, to calm down and get in the bed. 

The nurse came in to start my IV.  I warned her to be careful because my veins are terribly small and wiggly, that she would go right through it if she wasn’t careful.  Of course, she wasn’t careful and blew right through the vein and I proceeded to bleed all over the bed.  She finally stopped the bleeding and went around to the other arm to start the IV.  As she wiped my wrist with the alcohol wipe, my water broke.  There was no mistaking it.  It was a BIG GUSH just like in the movies.  My doctor was in the room and I said, “I think my water just broke.”  She walked over, took a look and said, “Good.  Now I don’t have to figure out when to break it.”  It was 8:45am.

I was and will be forever grateful that my doctors had me at the hospital that morning.  If I hadn’t been lying in a hospital bed about to have my labor induced, I would have been sitting at my desk when my water broke.  I would have been horrified to have to call maintenance and ask them to clean it up.  I would’ve been their first ever water break at work.  Not an honor I wanted.

Being a HUGE wimp and totally afraid of the pain of delivering the baby, I got an epidural at the first available moment (around 11:30am).  I was not afraid of the contractions, in fact, even on the highest dosage of Pi.tocin, they weren’t even painful.  (Don’t hate me.)  I was just really afraid of the actual birthing pain, and that’s why I asked for the epidural, I didn’t want to miss my window to get one.

Well, I should have known better than to take medicine.  I’m not a medicine type of person.  I don’t even take Tyl.enol when I have a headache.  I’m more of a napper.  The epidural made me sick to my stomach and I started vomiting between naps.  I wish I could tell you what Mr. Amen did all day long during the labor, but I have no idea.  I just remember sleeping and throwing up.  Oh, and I remember not progressing at all.  When we got to the hospital I was +6cm dilated…and I never got any farther than that.

Around 6pm, my doctor finally came in and I begged for a C-section since I wasn’t progressing, they couldn’t turn up the Pi.tocin anymore and I hate throwing up.  She agreed and said she had just been waiting for me to ask for one.

They took me back into the operating room.  After several minutes Mr. Amen joined me and as I lay on the table throwing up and shaking violently from the epidural/spinal, we welcomed our baby into the world.  The doctor announced it was a boy (something she was really excited to do since most people already know what they’re having long before they get to the delivery) and Mr. Amen exclaimed, “I have a son!  I have a son!”  It was such a sweet moment for our little family.

Our son, Junior, was born on 12/10/2008 at 6:58pm weighing 8 lbs. 4 oz., just like mommy predicted.

Happy Anniversary, Mr. Amen!

Four years ago today, I married the love of my life.

It's been quite a ride.  We've had ups and downs.  We've been tested, we've been blessed.

It's been amazing and I wouldn't trade a minute of it for the world.  I'm blessed beyond measure to have such a wonderful man who makes me smile, laugh, crazy mad, holds me up and keeps me grounded.  I truly thank God for sending this guy to my life.

Happy Anniversary, baby.  I love you!

Basic Human Need

Let’s talk about a basic human need:  food.

What is your favorite food to eat?  Maybe you have a sweet tooth and a warm fudgy brownie topped with vanilla ice cream and hot chocolate sauce is what tempts you.  Or, perhaps you prefer something a bit more savory like a big plate of nachos with smooth, melted cheese, fiery jalapeño peppers and olives just salty enough to remind you to drink that ice-cold glass of soda sweating on the table next to you.  Is it succulent fresh lobster tail dripping with hot, melted butter?  Is it a thick, juicy filet mignon seasoned to perfection?

We are attracted to foods because they’re tasty.  Probably, at least one of the foods described above sounds delicious to you and may have made your mouth water just thinking about it.

What happens if a person decides that he will only consume foods that taste good?  What if he decides that from now on he will only eat for pleasure - whatever tastes best to him? It won’t be long before he will start to suffer the ill effects of his decision.  He may become deficient in vital nutrients and his health may suffer; he may find he has less energy to do the things he needs to do; he may find it difficult to concentrate or focus on tasks.  But why has this happened?  Food is meant to taste good; there is nothing wrong with finding pleasure in eating.  So what’s wrong with only eating foods that he finds delicious?

What’s wrong is he forgot the other vital purpose of food.  Its nutritive qualities.

Food also supplies the fuel the body needs to sustain us in our daily lives.  Carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals are all important components in our food.    In fact, in order for our bodies to function optimally, we have to get enough of everything, but not too much of any one thing.

Because we know that food has nutritional value, most of us eat more than just brownies and lobster.  We also eat our steamed vegetables, our grilled boneless skinless chicken breasts, our apple or orange for a snack.  And because man does not live on whole grain bread alone, we allow ourselves to enjoy an ice cream cone on a hot, summer evening, knowing that it is appropriate to enjoy our food as well as to get nutritional value from it.

Sexual intercourse also has two purposes.  It is both unitive and procreative.  Is it any wonder that, much like with food, when we divorce ourselves from one of its purposes we suffer harmful consequences?

Today’s contraceptive culture has told people that they can engage in the unitive aspect of sex while insulating themselves from the procreative aspect of it.  The hook-up culture goes a step further than that even by telling people that they can have all the fun of sex, without any commitment whatsoever to their sexual partner and, of course, without the commitment to any lives that may be created in the process.  What has been the result of these messages? 

Pain.

The pain of a broken heart when a girl finds that he was only after one thing.  The pain of a vaccination against a disease that could have been prevented by abstinence until marriage.  The pain of an STD that has robbed a couple of their fertility.  The pain of a child being raised in poverty because his mother can’t identify his father.  The pain of lost self-esteem when a person’s been used time and time again for another’s pleasure.

For a moment, consider the other extreme.  What results when couples focus only on the procreative aspects of sex? Sadly, the outcome is more pain.

The pain of a couple who has forgotten how to enjoy each other in their quest to have a child.  The pain of invasive and dehumanizing medical procedures meant to produce a child at any cost.  The pain of a father working three jobs to support a family he sees only in passing.  The pain of a mother’s depression as her body struggles to keep up with the demands of pregnancy, childbirth and childrearing. 

Reject these lies that bring destruction, pain and misery to so many people!

Modern Natural Family Planning methods allow couples to enjoy both aspects of their sexuality.  NFP users recognize and are open to the possibility of life with every encounter.  Couples are encouraged to let the fruit of the Spirit flourish in their lives by practicing patience, faithfulness, gentleness and, most of all, self-control.  By embracing the natural rhythms of our bodies we enjoy both the unitive and procreative aspects of this powerful gift and bring balance to our lives and glory to our heavenly Father.

The Amen Family - How It All Started (Part V)

If you thought there wasn’t much more to the story, you’re assessment would have been incorrect.

After our Thanksgiving “proposal”, we started talking about a September or October wedding.  We hadn’t firmed up any dates when Mr. Amen found out his company would be laying off his entire department anytime between March 1 and June 1.  That presented a very real problem for us.  Mr. Amen was in the US on a work visa sponsored by his company.  If he was no longer with the company he would have 30 days to leave the US.

We would have to get married much sooner than anticipated or risk him being forced out of the country.  If forced out, we would have to apply for a “fiancé visa” which would allow him to enter the country for the purpose of getting married.  Once grated, we would have a very short window of time during which to marry.  Then, once married, we would begin the long paperwork process to get him an Emp.loyment Auth.orization Doc.ument so he could work, and even longer to get a “greencard.”  When I returned to work after getting engaged, all the ladies asked when we were getting married.  They were shocked by the answer and suspected I was pregnant (ummm…NO!).

Three weeks after our official engagement, we were legally married.  Only 8 people other than us and the mayor were at that ceremony (my mom, dad, sister, brother and sister-in-law, Mr. Amen’s mom and aunt, and his best man). 

Immediately we began all the immigration paperwork to get his greencard and we received it in record time!  The actual immigration interview was not at all like in the movies.  We were super nervous and thought that we might be at a disadvantage going into the interview because we hadn’t lived together.  In reality, the interview was pretty short, they asked how we met, about our wedding, asked to see pictures of the wedding and asked us to identify the people in the pictures.  The “defining moment” came when the interviewer asked Mr. Amen for my birthdate.  I snapped my head to look at him with a look on my face that said, “You better get this right.”  That was what she wanted to see…that head snap told her that we were a real couple.

We explained the situation to the Deacon that was to officiate our church wedding; he was very understanding and said this type of thing happened all the time.

That Memorial Day weekend I traveled to Oklahoma to pack up Mr. Amen’s apartment and move him up to Michigan.  He was laid off from his company on June 1^st.  He moved right into the apartment where we would live after we were really married in God’s eyes.  Our wedding went off, without a hitch on June 30, 2007.

And, that, my friends, is how the Amen Family started.

7 Quick Takes (2)

1

A friend of a friend did an IQ & personality assessment on Junior last weekend.  It’s for his graduate studies and we won’t actually get the results, but I still think it’s good practice for when Junior takes a real one.  We realized we need to make sure he knows the English & Spanish words for things.  Whoops!

2

I stood up for our parenting choices to my own parents.  It was difficult to tell my dad to “butt out”, but it took our relationship to a whole new level.  I think he respects me more as an adult now.

3

I use a meal-prep place to prepare the vast majority of our dinners.  Even though it is more expensive than if I shopped on my own, what it saves me in time makes it worth it.  Additionally, we eat a greater variety of foods than I would normally choose on my own.  (Chicken again, anyone?)

4

Let the house hunt begin!  We are finally looking for a house again and hopefully we will get moved in before the summer is over!

5

My great-Aunt passed away on Monday.  She was very old and it was not entirely unexpected, but she has been the matriarch of the family for as long as I can remember.  I’m sad she’s gone, but know she’s at peace with our Lord.  My family will remember her for years and years to come.  She was the keeper of our Belgian family’s Lukken recipe and had passed it on to my mom and me many years ago.  Aunt Jen always made the best Lukken and I know I’ll tell my child(ren) where the recipe came from.

6

Fun with blood draws…where to start?!?  Had 2 this week.  Looking forward to more in a couple weeks.  My veins are terrible.  No matter how much water I drink in the days leading up to a blood draw, it never seems to plump up my veins or make my blood run any thinner.  It’s like syrup filling the vials. 

7

We are going to a “family picnic” at Manresa, a retreat center near where we live here in Michigan.  They are having mass at 2pm followed by a picnic on the grounds.  I’m so excited!!

Check out more Quick Takes at Conversion Diary!

Try It This Weekend Thursday - Blue Cheese Coleslaw

There’s nothing better than icy cold coleslaw to go with anything off the grill.  There’s as many versions of coleslaw as there are families in our great country.  Some like a creamy coleslaw, some like a vinaigrette style coleslaw.  I have to say I fall firmly in the creamy coleslaw camp.  There’s a great little Coney place in this area that has delicious, tangy and sweet slaw that I just can’t seem to replicate.   So one day, when I was craving blue cheese, I came across a recipe for blue cheese coleslaw and just had to try it.  Well, it turned out to be a lot of work, so if I ever wanted to have it again, I had to modify the recipe to make it faster and easier to make.  Here’s the result of my experimentation:

2 one pound bags of coleslaw mix (with the bags of lettuce in the vegetable section)

2 cups mayonnaise (16 oz.)

¼ cup Dijon mustard

2 T. whole grain mustard

2 T. apple cider vinegar

1 t. celery salt

½ t. kosher salt

½ t. black pepper

1 ½ cups crumbled Roquefort blue cheese (6 oz.)

In a large bowl, empty both bags of coleslaw mix.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, both mustards, vinegar, celery salt, kosher salt and pepper.  Pour the dressing over the coleslaw mix and toss to moisten well.  Add crumbled blue cheese and toss together.  Cover the bowl and refrigerate for several hours to allow the flavors to meld together.  Serve cold or at room temperature.

A few tips about this recipe: 

1)    You can make your own coleslaw mix if you don’t want to buy it by using a food processor or mandolin to slice ½ head of green cabbage, ½ head of red cabbage and 4 large carrots. 

2)    I have trouble finding plain whole grain mustard at my grocery store, so I use a fancy whole grain mustard with garlic.  Really, everything is better with garlic anyhow. 

3)    If you don’t keep kosher salt on-hand, you can use regular table salt, but I would recommend decreasing the amount to slightly less than ½ teaspoon…you might find it too salty otherwise (remember, you can always add more salt to suit your taste, you can’t take it out!). 

4)    Lastly, when you first mix the dressing with the coleslaw mix, it doesn’t look very creamy, in fact, it may look barely moistened, but have patience, by the time you get it out of the refrigerator to serve, it’ll be very creamy.