Day 7: I'd Give My Right.. Arm

[too exhausted to proof read. maybe later.]

I don't feel like I can write very well tonight. I usually type from Jimmy's laptop from the comfort of my own bed while my legs scream at me. Tonight I am sitting on a wooden kitchen chair at the desktop that's breaking down.

Meal 1 & 2: Hamburger with lettuce and some peach or orange. (I know, I'm creative.)

Meal 3: Pork loin (I forgot to cook the cauliflower) and I don't remember what else I had. I was kind of snacking on mac nuts and almonds again. Oops!

A sister in the ward took time out of her busy day at work to start up this yummy crockpot pork loin meal. SO, so thoughtful! It was fun to talk with her and get to know her a little better. It's always wonderful to have adult conversation, too, ha ha!

{energy}

I woke up this morning worrying that I wouldn't be able to get out of bed until 10:30 again. My legs were heavy, but Jimmy left early to go to York, so I just had to grin and bear it today. Super lightheaded getting out of bed at first, but I was OK after that. I felt amazing! My legs were still sore and I was a little tired, but my body was so energetic. I wanted to do SO much today, but I focused on the boys today. Last night as I read more about the 29 Gifts, I thought about what my gift for today would be. You can read about it on the 29 Gifts tab, but I chose to teach and play with my kids today. They wore me out by 2:30pm, but it was so worth it! I'd give my right arm for those two! Ok, probably just both my legs. ;)  Enjoy the pictures of the fun we had... it has been MONTHS since I've been able to get the energy to do this. Loved every minute of it!

Joey is eating candy in my bed. That's how much I care when I'm tired. >.< But, the good news is that the Christmas/Halloween candy is gone! Jae at least will still ask for fruit, but Joey won't know much about candy in this house. :) I hope this energy continues because it's exhausting to make meal after meal. Ha, even for someone who has a healthy body! And, the boys will stop asking for candy. :)

Jae is working on his Thomas worksheets:

I love the way he draws his "lines":

 (Sorry for the upside down photo.)

He colored his laminated coloring page of himself. I enthusiastically asked, "Who is that?" He smiled so big and said, "Jae man!" That's right, buddy. :) 

The boys enjoyed watching the snow/rain/sleet pellets fall from the sky:

 Working on the alphabet and sounds with Joey:

Aa>Aquarium>Point to fish>"Ish"

Dino>Point>"ROAR!"

Dog>Point>"Mow"

(gotta work on cat vs. dog)

Ff>Fish>"Ish"

Lion>Point>"Roar!"

Everything else is a "didda" or "dooduh".

Art time:

These two aren't turned right, but I asked him what the name of each picture was. 

For sale, starting bid $1.

 "Pump Air" by Jae

"Froshgunk" by Jae

Jae wanted a birthday cake.. wouldn't stop telling me he wanted that and a birthday. I asked him what he wanted his piñata to look like. "McQueen? Thomas?.." He thought carefully and said, "a pwesent!" Ha, of course.. why not make it look like a big present? :)  Sad part is, he has 5 more months. Either sad for me to keep hearing it or sad for him to keep waiting.

We looked through the gluten-free almond flour cookbook I borrowed from Bonnie. He chose "tawwot take" over "tuptakes"! I was impressed! He loooves carrots! We will make carrot cake cupcakes as soon as we get the rest of the ingredients. I ventured to Walmart tonight; feelin' risky! I couldn't find grapeseed oil, agave nector, and coconut flour (which they probably didn't have). I texted Bonnie and called Jimmy, but forgot to check for the responses because my legs were killing me by then.

I really feel like this diet is helping me get better along with the Young Living Essential Oils. Thanks, Bonnie & Quin! I know, I know.. I never thought I'd be "one of those" people, but I am starting to be. Jimmy's fond of Thieves and Lemon, but soon he will be a believer (not to be mistaken by a Belieber even though he has posted a Beiber meme on my FB wall one time...ew) and we can do without most, if not all OTC drugs. And, I never thought I'd be "one of those" paleo-diet people either. Thanks, Mom! ;) I feel so weird buying that {organic} stuff, but if it's helping me feel better, by all means... I'm going to buy it. I just can't wait to put us all onto healthier eating! There are really some awesome recipes I want to try (without telling Jimmy what it is) and see if he likes them. The {only} thing I miss is sticky rice. I don't get tempted to eat it because I know I can try to add it back in later, but I'm Asian.. it's.. in my blood? Ha ha..

So, overall it was a pretty dang good day. The boys ate all their lunch and I was much more calm today. Well, until Joey body-slammed into me multiple times tonight. I made Jimmy take him. He didn't listen very well because that's where the multiple times comes in.

{amazing}

I'm super {amazed} by the sudden change from yesterday to this morning. It was like night and day (sorry, had to be punny). I feel so blessed as I've struggled through this for so long. (Most of the time not even knowing what was going on.) It was amazing to feel almost normal again. Busted through 4 hours of energy today with my boys and enjoyed every minute! It makes me sad to think about all of those months, days, and moments that I missed out on. I'm thankful to my Heavenly Father who hears my prayers. Jimmy gave me 2 blessings recently and both times he said, "I bless you that your body will heal so that you may be able to take care of your family." I believe in the power of the Priesthood and am grateful to have it in my home. I know this isn't the end of my bad days, but having this day with my handsome, adorable, funny, crazy boys made me SO happy! I thank you for your prayers, too! I know Jimmy and I weren't the only ones praying for my health.

Thank you.

Day 6: 29 Gifts

Meal 1: Almond pancakes with coconut oil (I really need to buy or make some ghee) and... a side of... shredded chicken. /rolls eyes  I know, I know... sounds so gross! I keep telling myself that I need to go to the store so I can mix things up. I need to make some mayo, ranch dip, and avocado dip!
Meal 2: I do not remember and maybe I just snacked. :|  I had a peach with Jae and a handful of mac nuts. Mmm, I love mac nuts! I probably had something else; I just don't remember.
Meal 3: Chicken stew. It was more or less beef stew, just with chicken instead. A wonderful sister in the ward brought it by!  (I am starting to leave names out; perhaps they would want their acts of service anonymous. Don't worry, I have their names for Thank You notes.)

So, this morning I woke up and my legs felt heavier than they've ever been. I didn't get out of bed until 10:30. I went into the bathroom and was so lightheaded and I experienced some (heart) palpitations. Not a big deal, probably just didn't give myself enough time to get out of bed. A sister in the ward was going to get my boys and watch them for a few hours so I could rest. I let her know that my boys were sick and I didn't want to spread the germs, so I was bummed that didn't work out. SO grateful for her willingness to serve, though! She even asked if she could help clean or anything. She is signed up for next week as well to watch the boys, so I hope they don't pick up any sicknesses from church. I may just have to put Thieves on their feet for a week even if they're fine.

My arms are getting weaker, but still a little functional. I lose more and more patience with my boys, which is sad! I'm in bed most of the day and can't get myself to interact with them. However, Jae wanted to make a birthday hat (I forgot to take a picture), so we made a birthday hat. (He wants it to be his "birday" right now and always asks, "Isit my birday yet?") I was so impressed that he constructed it himself; he colored the cutest designs on it, cut the foam, and taped it together himself! And then he was upset because it wasn't "wound" like a birthday hat. So, I un-taped it and fixed it.

Jimmy got home at 12:30 and made the kids lunch, did 7 loads of laundry, and helped me with folding the laundry. I guess I should think how he's feeling as he pointed out to me today that I wasn't the only tired one. Oops. Thankful for him for helping out!

{over-analyzing}

So.. as miserable as I've been feeling, I couldn't help but to ignore my own FB post about not asking "why me," but "why not me?"  I was getting depressed thinking I'm never going to get better, and that I'll never have kids again, I'll never feel well enough to take care of and teach the kids I already have, and not be a better homemaker. (I read a bunch of General Conference talks from November's 2009 Ensign last night and I feel like I'm not doing my job; ha, I know I'm not doing my job, but I'd like a second chance.) I just randomly selected an issue on Jimmy's phone... I chose November 2009 because it was the GC after Jae was born. Anyway, today I kept wondering if this Epstein-Barr Virus is something more like Lyme's or Guillian Barré. I know, just go to another doctor... Well, I'm sticking to this diet for 30 days to see if I'm feeling any better. By 30 days I should be a month away from seeing the Naturopath and we'll take things from there.  Earlier today I remembered a book that I started reading that my mom got me for Christmas. (Yeah, ADD.. haven't finished it yet. On page 64.) It's called 29 Gifts by Cami Walker.

Click here to find out more about this book.

I'm telling you, my mom gives the best books!

{I'm awesome}

I'm excited to finish reading this and continue with my own 29 Gifts challenge. In fact, I totally think this is a legit gift today:

I watched my friend's girl today so my friend could pack for a 3-month trip back to her motherland. I had sent her a text telling her that the kids are fine and she can take more time if she needed to. She was only an hour longer, but she was able to get all her packing finished! My friend knows I'm not well and was double checking with me to make sure it was OK. I admit that I just sat on the couch, but enjoyed watching the kids play together.

I will add my gifts on my newest tab called "29 Gifts" in case you want to follow that.

On that note, I promised my friend that I would start an earlier bedtime. I didn't think about a night's sleep being rest as well. I rest a lot during the day w/ naps and keeping myself from doing too much, but didn't think about a good night's sleep. So, I need to get to bed earlier. 10:30PM, just like it was as a missionary.

Goodnight!

P.S. We all have our trials and this is just one of mine I need to work through.. with help, of course! I hope you don't think I'm seeking for attention or needing sympathy; so.. don't feel all sorry and mushy stuff like that. I'm independent, stubborn, and I will get through this. ;) Love you!