Safe in the Arms of God.

Today is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. I didn't even know this day existed until I saw a friend of mine post about it on Facebook.  A year ago in March, I remembered back to a tiny 5 week ago baby of mine that went straight into the arms of the Lord. Not very many knew that I was pregnant, let alone had a miscarriage. The summer (June/July 2011) I got really sick and had to be in the hospital for almost a week (I was diagnosed with spinal meningitis and  encephalitis) was also the summer  I found out I was pregnant with baby #2. I found out I was pregnant when I went to my 2 week check up after my stay in the hospital. Since Eliana was only 3 months old at the time, and I wasn't quite regulated, I really didn't think there was any way I could get pregnant- but God had other plans. At my check up I found out that I was 4 weeks pregnant and the due date was March 11, 2012. This was 11 days before Eliana's first birthday. It was at this point that I absolutely broke down. I was emotionally and physically drained from everything my body went through in the past two weeks and to find out that I was pregnant with a baby that would be born before Eliana was 1, was almost too much for me to handle. And since this was just supposed to be a routine check up, I went to the appointment by myself. So I'm sitting on the bed in the doctor's office bawling my eyes out and not even knowing what to do or think. I just kept thinking, no. No! This isn't possible! God, how did this happen? Why did this happen?  I was in the room by myself for about 10 minutes before the doctor came in, and those 10 minutes felt like an eternity.  After the doctor came in and we discussed the pregnancy, he told me that I would need to come back for an ultrasound on Monday (today was Friday). The doctor told me that he didn't have high hopes for this pregnancy because of the emotional and physical strain/stress my body had gone through in the past two weeks. After the appointment, Nate met me at home and I told him I was pregnant, but that I didn't want to be, which made me feel very guilty, and that the doctor didn't have high hopes for the pregnancy, which made me feel almost relieved, which also made me VERY guilty and very unspiritual! Those three days were so emotionally draining that I felt like I couldn't cry one more tear. So Monday came and we went to the doctor's for my ultrasound. As I was laying on the bed getting ready for the ultrasound I was telling myself that everything was going to be okay and that I would have two babies under the age of one, and that I can do this because this is what God has entrusted me to do and because I have a very supportive and loving husband! The ultrasound technician started the process and as we were looking at the screen, we saw the tiny amniotic sac with the baby forming inside of it. I have never seen a baby at five weeks and it was very surreal. The doctor then pointed out that the amniotic sac was not forming properly and that I would most likely miscarry the baby within the next few days. At this point, I had no words. I felt guilty for having thoughts about not wanting the baby, and then I felt guilty that now I would be miscarrying the baby after I felt like God had given me peace about being pregnant again so soon. We were given the ultrasound pictures and then we went home. And later that day, I ended up miscarrying our second baby. I never felt the giddy feelings of being pregnant again, I never felt the baby move, I never got to hold the baby in my arms, but I do know that God allowed me to go through that for a special reason even though I don't know what that reason is. I can rest in these truths: that He is good and that one day- I will see my precious, little baby again! 

Safe in the Arms of God.

Today is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. I didn't even know this day existed until I saw a friend of mine post about it on Facebook.  A year ago in March, I remembered back to a tiny 5 week ago baby of mine that went straight into the arms of the Lord. Not very many knew that I was pregnant, let alone had a miscarriage. The summer (June/July 2011) I got really sick and had to be in the hospital for almost a week (I was diagnosed with spinal meningitis and  encephalitis) was also the summer  I found out I was pregnant with baby #2. I found out I was pregnant when I went to my 2 week check up after my stay in the hospital. Since Eliana was only 3 months old at the time, and I wasn't quite regulated, I really didn't think there was any way I could get pregnant- but God had other plans. At my check up I found out that I was 4 weeks pregnant and the due date was March 11, 2012. This was 11 days before Eliana's first birthday. It was at this point that I absolutely broke down. I was emotionally and physically drained from everything my body went through in the past two weeks and to find out that I was pregnant with a baby that would be born before Eliana was 1, was almost too much for me to handle. And since this was just supposed to be a routine check up, I went to the appointment by myself. So I'm sitting on the bed in the doctor's office bawling my eyes out and not even knowing what to do or think. I just kept thinking, no. No! This isn't possible! God, how did this happen? Why did this happen?  I was in the room by myself for about 10 minutes before the doctor came in, and those 10 minutes felt like an eternity.  After the doctor came in and we discussed the pregnancy, he told me that I would need to come back for an ultrasound on Monday (today was Friday). The doctor told me that he didn't have high hopes for this pregnancy because of the emotional and physical strain/stress my body had gone through in the past two weeks. After the appointment, Nate met me at home and I told him I was pregnant, but that I didn't want to be, which made me feel very guilty, and that the doctor didn't have high hopes for the pregnancy, which made me feel almost relieved, which also made me VERY guilty and very unspiritual! Those three days were so emotionally draining that I felt like I couldn't cry one more tear. So Monday came and we went to the doctor's for my ultrasound. As I was laying on the bed getting ready for the ultrasound I was telling myself that everything was going to be okay and that I would have two babies under the age of one, and that I can do this because this is what God has entrusted me to do and because I have a very supportive and loving husband! The ultrasound technician started the process and as we were looking at the screen, we saw the tiny amniotic sac with the baby forming inside of it. I have never seen a baby at five weeks and it was very surreal. The doctor then pointed out that the amniotic sac was not forming properly and that I would most likely miscarry the baby within the next few days. At this point, I had no words. I felt guilty for having thoughts about not wanting the baby, and then I felt guilty that now I would be miscarrying the baby after I felt like God had given me peace about being pregnant again so soon. We were given the ultrasound pictures and then we went home. And later that day, I ended up miscarrying our second baby. I never felt the giddy feelings of being pregnant again, I never felt the baby move, I never got to hold the baby in my arms, but I do know that God allowed me to go through that for a special reason even though I don't know what that reason is. I can rest in these truths: that He is good and that one day- I will see my precious, little baby again! 

{Potty Training}

4 weeks ago today I decided it was time to start potty training Eliana. Every time she went #2 in her diaper she would run to me and proudly announce that she went potty and would point to her diaper. Since she understood that she was going potty in her diaper, I figured that she would be able to understand how to go potty in the potty chair. AND I was running low on diapers for her and didn't feel like having to buy another pack! :)

 I hadn't read any books on the subject of potty training, only a couple of blog posts- this was one I found on pinterest (BabySavers.com) and this one is from a friend of mine (Four Girls & A Daddy) so I wasn't sure what "method" to follow or what was the best way to potty train my 2 year old.

For starters, I purchased a potty chair and a book on potty training {for Eliana} from Amazon.
Here is link to the potty chair I ordered- Baby Bjorn Potty Chair and here is the link to the book I bought for Eliana- The Potty Book for Girls

I ordered that specific potty chair because the lady from the first blog post recommended it and it's super easy to clean, it's small, and it's convient and easy to travel with.

When the potty chair arrived, we let Eliana open up the box and she got really excited when she saw her "potty." She wanted to sit on it right away, but we told her that she could only sit on it if she was actually going to go potty. {I think she might of thought it was just a really cool pink chair :)} At first she was pumped about being able to sit on the potty chair but then after about a day of that, she started crying if I asked her if she needed to go potty or if I set her on the potty chair. I didn't want to force her into going potty, so we just took a break and didn't talk about the potty or sit on it for about 2-3 weeks.

On the Sunday before we started potty training, we picked up some Disney princess big girl panties for Eliana, but we told her she could only wear them if she went potty in the big girl potty. She seemed to understand and wasn't too happy that she couldn't wear the panties over her pants. :)
 I decided to reintroduce the potty chair to Eliana and she didn't seem to mind sitting on
it, in fact, she almost enjoyed it. I was hoping this was a good sign!

We officially starting potty training on Wednesday April 10th, 2013. Like I said before, I didn't know what the best way was to PT Eliana, so I just decided to go "all-natural" and let her run around buck naked. I knew we would have accidents and I knew I would have to clean up some bodily fluids, but I was hoping that if she saw when she peed or pooped on the floor that she would make the connection that those fluids coming out of her needed to go in the potty, not on the floor.

On day 1, she went potty in the potty chair 3 times! She had about 3 or 4 accidents as well, but I was so
proud of her for actually going in the potty chair!
Each day it seemed to get better, but the first 4 days were definitely the hardest and most trying. She would still wear a diaper at nap times and at bedtime. During the first two weeks, if we needed to go out or for nap time I started putting a pull-up on her, but we called them her "panties"...I didn't want her thinking it was just another diaper that she could pee in. She did really well with keeping her pull-ups dry, so I actually started letting her wear her real panties at nap time and she has woken up dry every time! So awesome!

As far as a reward system goes, every time she went potty, she was able to put up a sticker on her potty chart and she received a jelly bean. We're on week 3 of potty training and we're still sticking with the sticker chart because she seems to really enjoy seeing all of her stickers on the fridge.

Here are pictures of her sticker chart.

Today is the start of Week 4 and Eliana wears her panties all day now. She usually tells me if she has to go to potty, but if I know that she hasn't gone in a while or she is really into playtime- I'll ask her if she needs to go and she will tell me either yes or no and either sit on the potty or keep playing. We haven't had an accident in public yet, and for that I am quite thankful!


I'm so proud of my little girl for putting up with me during this potty training adventure. :)
I sure do love her!

Eliana's 2nd Birthday {Finding Nemo Style}

My favorite little red head turned 2 on March 22nd, but we celebrated her birthday on the 14th. The girls on the soccer team are like big sisters to Eliana and I wanted to make sure they were able to join us for her party- they were all leaving for spring break the next day.

I absolutely LOVE birthday parties! My mom always made sure that our birthdays were a very special day that included a theme party and lots of friends and games. I would love to continue that tradition with my girls. Nate and I have talked about what sort of traditions we would like to do for a our girls, an when we talk about birthday traditions, I just get SO excited! :) :)

Finding Nemo has pretty much characterized the life of Miss Eliana Lou since she was 10 months old until about 4 months ago. We ended up traveling a decent amount after Eliana turned 1 and watching this movie was just about the only thing that would keep her entertained. I'm not sure how parents took trips without the technology we have available today! I am soooooo thankful for our iPad and for Finding Nemo- it has definitely kept me sane on quite a few trips. :)

Here are some pictures from Eliana's Party. 

I can't believe my sweet little girl is 2! She loved her party and two of her favorite gifts were her Mickey Mouse and Woody from us. 

My first attempt at a shaped cake. As long as Eliana knew who the cake was, I was satisfied! :)

Her Birthday Bunting

Nemo Cookies

You can't have a fish party without some gold fish...

Cupcakes. 

We "found" Nemo and he was sitting on the table to welcome the party guests. :0) 

The Table Spread with the desserts/snacks

My poor watermelon "shark" is missing his top row of teeth because I ran out of time, but I still thought it looked cool and so did my little nephew. :)

The blue jello jigglers even had fish "swimming" on them. 

One of my favorite parts about the party was the photo op. All of the party guests wrote Eliana a special message on the chalkboard and had their pictures taken with their message. 

Nate thinks he is so funny sometimes. :)

Our family at the photo op. 

A picture with my beautiful little 2 year old right before we sang Happy Birthday. 

The next two pictures were on Eliana's actual birthday. One of the traditions we would like to continue is to have birthday pancakes for the girls on the morning of their actual birthday.  

 

Eliana LOVES pancakes and she was super excited about the sprinkles and the "2" on her plate.

Since today is all about Eliana we took her out to eat at Pizza Hut since she loves pizza as well.

 {pizza and sweets...this girl is a mini-me!}

I am so incredibly blessed to have this sweet little girl in my life. All I can say is thank you, Lord. 

Duck Dynasty Party!

February 27, 2013...does this date mean anything to you?? Well it does to my family...it was the Season 3 Premier of Duck Dynasty. This show has easily become one of our favorite shows to watch as a family. Even Eliana recognizes the theme song and says "Duck Dynasty?" 

To celebrate the Season 3 Premier, we had some friends over to our house for a little party. :) 

Here are some pictures...

My friend Jami snapped these pictures. 

The two pictures on the left were by our front door. 

Oh, Si. :)

Close-up of my Duck Dynasty Cupcakes.

Some DD cupcakes

Welcome to the party...

Food! 

My Duck Commander labels that I made

One more picture of the table. 

Gallery Wall

This is one of my favorite wall decorations in my house. 

I love being able to display a ton of my family pictures in a neat, organized way!

Over half of the frames in the collage are from goodwill that I got for less than $2 a piece and spray- painted them black. I got the family sign and "C" from Hobby Lobby and the green circle frame was also from goodwill that I spray- painted- that's probably my favorite part. :)

Easy Beef and Bean Echiladas

This is a new family favorite of ours! 
They are very simple beef enchiladas and they taste amazing. 

Original Recipe- Food.com

Ingredients: 

1 lb ground beef

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon chili powder (this can be adjusted based on preference) 

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 can of black beans (refried beans taste great too) 

3 cups shredded cheese 

1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce 

12 whole wheat tortillas (corn tortillas work well too) 

oil

Directions:

1) Brown ground beef with onion and garlic. Drain.  

2) Add next 8 ingredients (worcestershire sauce through beans).

3) In another skillet, heat oil.

4) Add tortillas, one at a time, for 10 seconds on each side.

5) Drain on paper towel.

6) In 9x13 baking pan, pour just enough enchilada sauce in the bottom to coat the bottom of the pan.

7) Fill each tortilla with a spoonful of meat mixture.

8) Cheese can be put inside each enchilada at this time, if desired.

9) Roll tortilla and place seam side down in pan.

10) Continue with remaining tortillas.

11) Pour remaining enchilada sauce over tortillas and top with cheese.

12) At this time, pan may be refrigerated for several hours or overnight.

13) Bake in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes (30 minutes if refrigerated).

Enjoy!

This meal is easy to make ahead and store in the refrigerator and then just pop in the oven when dinner time rolls around. This would also make for a good meal to take over to a friend's house.