Big Changes!

Is it really only Tuesday? This week has been a struggle to say the least and it really just began.

I'll back up a few days for you. We had an amazing Thanksgiving! 3 dinners in all. (I definitely need to get back on the treadmill!) One week of going off the diet is awful on my motivation these days!

Yesterday we had to go get labs for the transplant team. It was also our week for the ammonia so we decided to combine them into one trip. We also had to stop by the pediatrician and get a height and weight. After waiting over an hour and half for them just to draw the blood I wasn't prepared for a high number. We were uneasy when it came back an 89.

I called Pitt immediately! We have went from a 43 to a 68 to now an 89. Something had to change!

Dr. Vockely himself called me last night. He was checking on Lynlee and giving the plan. We were going to give her 500ccs extra over night and get a redraw today. I cringed at the number 500 cc's. That over 16oz than had the be given on top her regular night feed of over 15oz. We feed her for 10 hours straight last night and she did great. I was so scared she would vomit all over the place but she handled it great and we just had a very wet bed at 8am this morning.

So back to Weston we went. We got right in, blood drew immediately and an ammonia of 29 sent us home! I never get tired of coming home, even though we were prepared to go to Pittsburgh. I had brought our bags this trip. The only thing worse then being sent to Pittsburgh is being sent with nothing! No toothbrush, clean clothes, nothing! Yes, I've been there and I try to never let that happen again.

When we got home we got the phone call that Lynlee has been moved up on the list to a 1B. So things should be happening quickly now. I asked how ready we should be, and their response was that we could get a call tonight! Then they went on to tell me there was a little girl that had been on the listed at a 1B for 4 weeks and they acted like that was a long time. So we just don't know.

I started Christmas shopping this week. I'm mentally prepared to not be "home" for the holidays but I want to keep things as normal around here as I can.  I'm hoping to have the house decorated and the tree up by the end of the week. Speaking of the house, as if we don't have enough going on we are breaking ground tomorrow. We are building on a master bed and bath! And a huge closet!! Yes, I'm excited about a closet! I'm thrilled to have more room. If we had known how much space a child takes up we would have never bought this small of a house! So the plan is to build our bedroom and bath on, move Lynlee into our room and her room will be an office/play room.  So only if it was done like tomorrow that would be great! HA..

As of right now I don't have any pictures for tomorrow, but I'll try to grab some this evening or in the morning!

Happy Thanksgiving!

                                 (She will never understand how true this statement is)

A short post about the things I'm most Thankful for this Thanksgiving.

• My caring, thoughtful husband. I don't know how I'd make it without him by my side. I love him more than words can ever say.
• My amazing, strong willed daughter. She makes me still believe in God's miracles! And keeps me on my toes :)
• Our family(ies) for without them I don't know what would do. They've backed us 100% with every decision we've ever made and have made Ryan and I the people we are today.
• Our friends that have been there for us through it all.
• My sisters, either by blood or marriage, God knew I needed each of them in my life! There's no bond like a bond of sister! I love ya!
• Last but not least my best friend Erica. She's been beside me on the best day of my life and by far the worst day. She was my partner in crime for many years! We are two peas in a pod!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

We are off to not one but two wonderful dinners! Gobble til ya Wobble!

Wordless Wednesday: My lil monkey

Our first go around with Play-Doh

Yesterday I gave in. I finally bought Lynlee Play-Doh. I had been putting it off and putting it off. I always hear plain horror stories of Play-Doh. But after the advice from one of her therapist we picked up some on our trip to Wal-Mart. We weren't sure if she would like the texture or want anything to do with it. I snapped a few pictures before she tried to eat it. Yes, you read that right. The child that won't eat anything only wanted to eat Play-Doh.

Sigh...

You might wonder why every single picture you see these days has Lynlee in a onesie? Well it's because I have her taped up, no joke, and then have to put a onesie on her so she don't rip out her G-Tube.  We have a closet full of beautiful clothes that she hasn't worn and she is wearing the same onesies over and over again. This honestly makes me more sad that her eating the Play-Doh.  HAHA.

Tune in tomorrow for Wordless Wednesday!

Stacy 1, Ryan 1

Well it's a very lazy, rainy Sunday afternoon here. Ryan's off to deer camp and Lynlee's nappin. I thought I'd catch up on some blogging while I watch the Friends Marathon! I don't get the remote to myself very often. By the time Lynlee gets finished watching Barney then Ryan watches whatever.

Speaking of Ryan, him and I are still on our healthy kick. He's doing so much better than I thought he would. We weighed in for the first time last Friday. He was down 1.5 pounds while I kicked his butt losing 5 pounds. I do think I'm trying harder than him. He's just eating healthy because he doesn't have much of a choice.. Well that's what I thought. Friday when we weighed in he was down 3 and I pulled 2. I'm seriously beyond excited for both of us. It's nice to have someone work with you instead of eating ice cream in front of you at 10pm :)

I'm not looking forward to weigh in this week. I mean with Thanksgiving (and us eating two huge meals that day) plus this week. Well, I can't imagine it being good. I saw what he took to camp :) HAHA.. And well this morning I was craving a peanut butter pie (thanks a lot Heather!) so I made this.

It's low fat and only has 159 cals a slice.. I'm not sure if that really matters if I end up eating the whole thing! HA!

Last night, Ryan and I went on a date night. It was the first time we've been out for months. Very needed and very nice. We headed to CJ Maggies for some dinner and then went to watch Breaking Dawn. Have you seen it? It was my favorite one of the series! I loved every minute of it!

Well enough of the mindless chatter. I could go on and on for hours probably. Just a chatty day for me!

Enjoy your Sunday!

It's Wednesday

It's Wednesday! I couldn't decide on what to name this blog. I love the fact that she is such a big girl sitting at the island all by herself and the fact that she can pick her own iPad games now. We spend a lot of time doing both these days... She is always wanting to sit on the stool while I'm in the kitchen. She loves standing on a chair and "helping" me do whatever especially if it involves the hand mixer! And the iPad. She will sit and play her games, listen to music, do whatever for a good 30 minutes now. It's definitely nice to have a breather!

Yesterday we went for an ammonia. 68. Not awesome, but not terrible either. Two weeks ago it was 42, and two weeks before that 102. So go figure.  I know 68 isn't "safe" for her brain. Just another reminder of why we are doing what we are doing by transplanting her.

Speaking of transplant. I'm ready. Well as ready as I can be. I'm mentally ready, I think? I still haven't packed. I'm not sure how you pack for a  2 month stay? And if it really matters what I take anyways?? I've prepared myself to be gone that long this time. I've also prepared myself that we are missing our HOME, our beds, our dog, and possibly the Holidays. 

Lynlee gets moved up to a 1B on Monday the 21st. We could get the call any day after that. So we have to be ready.

Til next time... So much for a Wordless Wednesday :)

Overnight Oatmeal!

I told you my goal was to find an overnight oatmeal that I liked.. And I did! In fact, I Love it!! I hate it the other morning after my workout and stayed full for hours!

It literally tasted like a huge bowl of No Bake Cookies and it's oh so healthy for you! What more could a girl want for breakfast??

The recipe looked something like this:

1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1 Tbsp Chia Seeds
1 cup of milk
1/2 tbsp coco powder
1tbsp Peanut Butter

Mix all together and let is sit overnight for 8 to 10 hours.

Enjoy! Let me know if any of you try this. I'm anxious to hear your thoughs on it.

Wordless Wednesday: Cousins

Chia Seeds? Yes! Please!!

A couple days ago I ran into a blog where the girl LOVED overnight oatmeal. I had never heard of it. 

The recipe consisted of this:
1/2 cup of Old Fashion Oatmeal
1/4 cup of Milk (skim, almond, vanilla soy) Whatever you preferred
6oz of Vanilla Greek Yogurt
a heaping spoonful of Coco
1 tablespoon of Chia Seeds.

Mix together all ingredients and leave 8-10 hours over night and enjoy..

My first problem was I had never heard of Chia Seeds. Have you? Well I looked them up there are full of Fiber and Omega 3's.. Soooo good for you! I found them at our GNC! 1 Tablespoon has 5 grams of fiber, 3 grams of protein and 2.5 grams of Omega 3's. You can add them to almost everything!! And they are awesome!! My new favorite thing for sure!!

My second problem was I didn't enjoy the oatmeal at all. In fact, it was awful! It has this bitter, very bitter taste. I think it was too much Greek Yogurt for me. I might try it again with less or no yogurt.  But here's what it looked like:

And this is what I ended up having for breakfast:

1/2 cup of oatmeal
3/4 cup of milk
1 tablespoon of Chia seeds
2 tablespoons of peanut butter!



And while we are are sharing here's what we had for dinner last night. Shrimp Stir fry! Very Healthy, Very EASY and very yummy!!

I seem to struggle for a filling, healthy lunch.. Any suggestions??

A new day, a new me!

I know my blogs are 98% about Lynlee. She definitely makes our life interesting! But I find myself not blogging about every day life because I'm afraid its boring and repetitive. So today I thought I'd switch it up.

For those of you that check in here just to check on Lynlee here's a quick update. Her ammonia in Pittsburgh 2 weeks ago was 102. The repeat last week was 42! A formula change plus the extra calories totally helped!! And most days we are the same. We are playing tea parties, doctor, and just waiting on our perfect liver to get here!

I woke up on Friday with a new outlook on life. A new day, a new me! So the first thing I did was go to Wal-Mart and buy some hair color. I always feel like that helps change? It took a few days to get used to but I have to say I'm really liking the dark brown..

What do you think?

Before I colored it, I did a 30 minute workout.. Getting out of the shower I felt like a new woman.

It's no secret that I have had weight issues in the past. I'm pretty sure when I graduated high school I weighed 180lbs. And got to 210 before I done something about it. My wedding day was the thinnest I'd been and that was being down 70lbs. I swore I'd never weight that much again. After I had Lynlee I was down within 10-15 pounds of my goal weight. And now well I'm about 20 -25 pounds of my goal weight. After I got on my scales Friday I new two things. 1. I've gained 10 pounds since September which is ridiculous, and 2 I have to make a life style change.

I can't set around all do nothing eating whatever I want. And if you are one of those people that can then I kinda hate you right now! HAHA.. But seriously, I have to eat healthy and get exercise.

I'm one of those people that if I eat bad one day I think I can for the rest of the week. So the theme a new day, a new me seemed to fit. Before Friday I was slipping. Slipping physically, mentally, and emotionally. The constant worry that this disorder has put on our lives is something I hope you never know! And to anticipate a transplant well that's a new worry of ours. I know it's the right decision but if I set and think about it I will be crazy.

So my new plan. Get up, get moving, eat healthy and enjoy life. Life is precious and I'm not going to sit on my big butt and let is slip away. Lynlee doesn't deserve that and neither do I.

I blogged about this for 2 reasons. 1. I feel better letting it out, and 2. Well now that its out there I have to keep myself accountable for it.

So to a new day, a new week, and a new happy life!!

Til next year!

Last night was our last and final birthday party for Lynlee. So I thought I'd share with you guys my favorite pics from all the parties. Enjoy

Wordless Wednesday: Halloween 2011