5 Reasons You Get Sick After The New Year

 

  Good morning y'all! As I had mentioned in an earlier post we all had colds right after Christmas and into the new year, so fun right?! Well thankfully we're all better now, but it got me thinking. We get sick almost every year right around the new year. We're pretty healthy around the rest of the year and we don't get many major illnesses, so I can't really complain. Instead I'll just walk you through 5 reasons I believe we get sick every new year. Now I must forewarn y'all I am NOT a doctor, I just play one on Google, so enjoy my personal commentary on our "new year, new colds".

1. Cold Weather
   Some of you are probably thinking "well duh!", but seriously it's true that cold weather is just another reason you find yourself more susceptible to that pesky cold going around. There was a study at Yale a couple years ago that finally confirmed suspicions that cold weather can weaken the immune system. It also probably doesn't help that we live in Virginia and our weather is more all over place than a toddler on a sugar high. One minute it's 60 degrees, and the next day it's 18 degrees and snowing. Welcome to Virginia.

2. The Holiday High
   With Christmas comes excitement and good feelings about family and friends, and maybe even a few people you don't normally like haha. Christmas truly puts a little more peace in the air. Well it does for me. They even say people are more likely to be looking for love right after Thanksgiving up until Valentine's Day. My point is that Christmas brings happiness, it's the high point of the year for so many families and individuals. Everyone knows that endorphins are the chemical explanation for happiness, and most people start to feel a little low once it's over. When your endorphins are a little lower it weakens your immune system leaving you open to whatever germs and bugs are going around. Merry Christmas ya filthy animals.

3. Crowds/ Family Gatherings
    Now I love family/friend gatherings around Christmas. God wants us to not only honor the birth of His son, but to be thankful for our brothers and sisters, and cousins, and uncles, and that one person that you're not really sure how you're related to but you love just the same. With all that said OF COURSE we're all going to be sick after Christmas we all just came in from the cold and are in someone's living room with sometimes 30 other people you haven't seen since last year. You don't know if so and so washed their hands, and they don't know if they're about to fall sick the next day. Oh the suspense haha! Hey at least everyone is all sick together.

4. Poor Diet
   At that family gathering you probably had at least 2 of your favorite foods, which I would dare to guess are riddled with fat. That's why they're delicious, duh! Not gonna lie, I love any food that I know I'm going to hate myself for eating in just a few hours because I'm so full. But I'm usually too full to even eat dinner so I call it even. Then I eat leftovers for breakfast. I say all this to say we all know that keeping up good dietary habits is good for our overall health. So when we veer off that track our immune system turns against us. Which really makes no sense to me, like you would think it would be happy with all that mac 'n' cheese!

5. The Christmas Rush
    My final reason I believe we get sick right after the new year is basically all the different things we're doing right around Christmas time. We're going to this family gathering, we have to bring a casserole to this get together, we still have to wrap so and so's presents, oh yeah we have to get that person a present. We're staying up later, and getting up earlier. Every weekend is more jam packed than the next. When you're stretched too thin your immune system gets even thinner. We love Christmas, and all the memories made, but we're maybe just a little glad once we can catch our breath. Then comes the colds.
  Nevertheless, the good news is this: when we look back on Christmases of the past we don't think about how sick we were right after. No, we instead remember our family and friends, and all the funny/sentimental/weird memories we made. Then we get a cold.

Linking up with April

Miller's 7 Month Update

   Hey y'all! This past Tuesday(on my 21st birthday of all days) Miller officially turned 7 months old. Each new month is both exciting and bittersweet for this mama. Sometimes it hits me how big he's gotten as if I haven't been with him every day of his life. Well for those of you who are curious about what he's up to in his 7th month of life, here you go!

Weight: At his last appointment he weighted 16lb. 10oz.

Clothes: 6-9 months. I've already started finding some of his Fall clothes.

Diapers: Still in size 2.

Food: He has started on his pureed foods, and is still taking his G-tube feeds. He was doing extremely well with the pureed foods, his favorites being bananas, squash, and pears; but I think he has started teething so he's not quite as interested as he had been. But he loves a nice cold paci!

Favorite Toy: He is still enthralled by his triangle toy. He also loves his rings that can connect and disconnect.

Best Time of Day: The morning is still his favorite. He gets up, gets changed, eats, and usually takes a late morning nap.

Likes: Being held, cold pacis, being talked to, playing with his toys. I recently discovered how he likes to join in on exercise time with mommy. We'll do squats together and he just laughs and squeals, it's the cutest thing. He also loves The Gilmore Girls theme song. Every time it plays I'll sing it to him and he just stares at me and smiles.

Dislikes: Not being held, and not having a cold paci. Oh and bath time is still torture to him.

Milestones: He recently had what I call appointment day. He got all 3 doctors done in one day; neurologist, gastrointestinal doctor, and pediatrician. I love how convenient it is that his neurologist and GI are across the hall from each other. Is it sad that that's the kind of stuff I get excited about now?! Haha moving on. All of his appointments went wonderful, they couldn't have gone better! I was the happiest by what his neurologist said, which was his first appointment of the day. He said he was very surprised and pleased by Miller's progress. He also said he wasn't too concerned by what he was doing physically, that his social interaction and awareness is more important. And everyone says he doing very well socially. He is getting even more gorgeous hair, and his eyes are even bluer. So far this has been a fantastic month for Miller!

Five Under $5: For Babies

   Hey y'all! I hope everyone has had a fantastic week. I know I've been looking forward to the weekend. For one thing my birthday is this Monday and my mom's birthday is on Sunday(I was a late birthday present you could say). But Miller will be 7 months old(officially!) on my birthday! So lots of happy things are on the forecast.
    A few weeks back I did a round-up for Five on Friday about five cool items I recently found for(you guessed it) $5 or under. Well I'm doing it again today, but for babies!



 1. Flash Cards- $1.00
   

     I'm sure your first thought is "uh isn't your son too young for those?", and the answer would be "no!". Nearly every article you read about early childhood development will talk about the importance of talking and interacting with your children. Showing them flash cards is simply taking the conversation a step further.
    When I opened these for the first time to show to Miller he got surprisingly excited. Because to him, everything is new, and therefore something to be explored or experienced.
     I found all of these flash cards pictured at none other than Dollar Tree. They have a bunch more about math, matching games, colors and shapes, etc.

2. Board Books- $1.00
  

   If you've ever spent more than five minutes in a Barnes & Noble you have probably glared at the outrageous prices they have for children's books. Oh that's just me? Never mind.
   Well if you can identify with that you would be happily surprised by the well priced choices you can find at Dollar Tree and Target's dollar spot. I've found a plethora of board books for Miller. He has regular paper page books as well, but the board books are a great choice since they're durable and you can easily disinfect them with cleaning wipes. Score!

3. Baby Wipes- $1.00

   When I'm out and about with Miller I find it's much easier to bring a small package of wipes rather than the 100 packs. I found this 32 pack for only a $1 at Dollar Tree, and can I just say how much I love the Mickey Mouse theme. I also saw the exact same pack of wipes at Target, but for $1.47. So if you do the math you would pay 47% more at Target for the exact same thing. You're welcome.

4. Baby Spoons- $1.00

   Miller just recently started on pureed foods(can you say 'exciting' and 'messier than I had bargained for'). So obviously his little mouth can't handle adult size spoons. I got these at Dollar Tree. They have them in 12 packs, with either 12 spoons or a combination of 12 spoons and forks. They come in fun colors, and they're BPA free.


5. 'O' Ball Rattle- $4.00

   I had never actually heard of the 'O' ball until Miller was in the NICU. A lovely neonatologist developmental doctor suggested it, she said it was one of the only toys she strongly suggested for parents to get for their children. Now the traditional 'O' ball is a little over $5, but the rattle is about $4 at walmart. I got it before the actual ball for Miller back at Christmastime. They're really great toys, easy to grasp, flexible, colorful. My son loves trying to put it in his mouth, and I love watching him try. Cue all the heart eye emojis!

  Well that's all folks! I hope y'all found this helpful. What are some of your favorites for babies that are under $5? Have you used any of the above?

 

       Linking up with April, Christina & Natasha

Linking up with Andrea, Narci, & Erika 

 

Miller's 6 Month Update

  Hey y'all! This past Sunday Miller officially turned 6 months old, half a year...is that crazy or what?! I thought I should do a little update on Miller, because you only turn half a year old once...

Weight: 16 lb. 2.6 oz.

Clothes: Currently rocking mostly 3-6 or 6 months sizing wise(although he's almost ready for the next size).

Diaper: Size 2 for a couple months now already.

Food: Still doing well with his g-tube, and he gets to start on purees very soon!

Favorite toy: He loves his Little Tikes Play Triangle, for some reason he thinks he can get it in his mouth. His "o" ball and keys are a close second.

Best time of day: The morning time! He loves to talk and play then.

Likes: Being held, having his diaper changed(surprisingly!), having his face wiped, talking, Daniel Tiger, being rocked to sleep in his rock 'n' play, books, eating his fingers.

Dislikes: Not being held, having to have saline drops, baths, tummy time(except when he gets to do his tummy time laying on mommy).

Milestones: Miller just had his first appointment with a neonatologist developmental doctor. It went very well! They said he is right on target for 5 months, which is what he is expected to be developmentally since he was a month early. As far as sitting up goes he's getting stronger. His little head is finally starting to get more hair on it.





Before Church this past Sunday!

 

When Your Child is Sick

  Hey y'all! I hope everyone's week is going well, this week has been better than the last week for us. You see Miller got his very first cold the Friday after Easter, and naturally we all got it too. So we've been busy with trips to the doctor, trips to the pharmacy, and trips to the couch so Miller can nap on mommy. Anyways, I thought I'd share a few thoughts from the brain of a mama with a sick babe.

• "Well for having a weakened immune system we're pretty lucky that this is his first cold and he's almost 6 months old."

• "Awww Daniel Tiger has a episode all about being sick....wait why isn't he going to the vet? This is incredibly inaccurate. "

• "There should be an easier way to give a baby nasal drops! Isn't there an app for that?!"

• "Parents should have immunity when their kids are sick. Don't get me wrong I'd rather have a 1,000 colds than Miller be sick once, but it's a new level of hard when you're both sick."

• "Oh wow, I lost a little weight! Jokes on you cold!"

• "Ugh liquid amoxicillin...we meet again. I had almost forgotten that smell. Until now."

• "If I'm going to get through this I'm going to need to double down on caffeine. I can probably Google how to put in a I.V...."

• "I never understood the people wanting a cure for the common cold. Now I do. Is there a walk for that?"

• "How is he this cute and energetic yet still so sick? I feel like death. Does he feel like death?"

• "I wonder how many days I can wear my hair in a messy bun before it stays that way permanently..."

• "When will this cold end?! Like is he going to college with this cold or what?!"

                    Linking up with Annie and Natalie

Miller's NICU Story

  Hey y'all! On my last post I touched briefly on Miller and his medical condition, but I felt it deserved a more detailed post.
   You might remember the term HIE(hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy), otherwise known as oxygen deprivation. Basically that means that for a period of time before Miller was born his oxygen supply was cut off therefore causing injury to his brain. HIE does not go away, it is a permanent condition of the brain. We have no way of knowing exactly when it happened. Now HIE can happen after birth but the way Miller's HIE presented it was pretty clear that his injury was prior to birth. Miller was very blessed in the sense that a lot of babies born with this injury can have organ failure, but he didn't. In fact at birth he presented fairly well, he was only taken to the NICU as a precaution with his lungs.
   The only sign and the way we found out that anything was amiss came a few hours later when I was holding Miller for the first time. I looked down at him in my arms and something seemed off. I can't even really remember exactly how it looked, but I knew right away. "Is he having a seizure?". The neonatologist took a look at him, and said no and that it was normal newborn behavior. I didn't even think about it later, taking what he said for face value.
   Fast forward to the next day, we were taking my aunt and cousin back to see Miller. We had just entered the NICU when the same doctor from the day before rushed over to us and asked if he could talk to us in private for a minute. It turned out it was a seizure. They knew because he had a few more that day. I was shocked. The whole pregnancy I had been concerned about him even getting the chance at life, I never even thought about this being a issue. I thought once he was out I could breathe easy.
    They called in the pediatric neurologist and ordered a EEG and a MRI. Over the next few days it was confirmed, it was HIE. The big concern at that time for getting him home would be feeding. That was his biggest hurdle. For the time being he had a NG tube(a feeding tube that goes through his nose), but he couldn't go home on a NG tube. The feeding specialist started working with him on his feeds. Unfortunately that was one of the areas that his HIE had affected. His swallow was out of sync causing silent aspirations after 7cc. After 2 swallow studies that had the same results it was finally time to make the hard decision to allow them to put a G tube in which would require surgery. After that it was just a countdown to home.   
    When I look back at Miller's time in the NICU it feels like another life entirely. The worry, the waiting, the what ifs, the second guessing. I remember the agony of knowing that if he had presented as severe(which his HIE presented severe on his MRIs) he could have had a cooling cap that has been used in the last few years to help babies appearing to have HIE hours after birth. I can recall waiting for him to come out of surgery strangely calm, then as soon as it was over questioning whether it was the right choice, even though the hospital said I had no other choice.
  I share this all because of the other parents that are maybe going through this right now, or have gone through this. Because I can remember sitting there in the hospital Googling every medical term I heard, reading every blog written by a parent who went through this. If we don't talk about this, who will?

Waiting for Miller's arrival!

Miller James is born!


 

His 1st picture in the NICU

The 1st time I held Miller

Chillin' under his bilirubin light

Headed for another test

His 1st Halloween was spent in the NICU, he also turned 2 weeks old that day!

Miller headed for PCN(Progressive Care Nursery, it's a step down from the NICU) the 1st time!

Right before his G-tube surgery

Baby H #2 Update: Weeks 25 & 26

   Happy Tuesday y'all! Or 'A' day for Pretty Little Liars fans(I'm probably way too excited about it, but hey it's been 6 years!). It's not raining like it was yesterday, in case you haven't been outside yet. Which made it nice for going to and from my doctor's today. I don't know anyone who enjoys going out in the rain haha. If you're one of those people who enjoys being out in rain, let me know!
    So I had my weekly doctor's appointment today, yay! Seriously, I feel so blessed to have such a kind, genuinely concerned doctor as well as his staff! It makes this whole scary process so much better.
    Today's visit was also for my glucose test. Now with James I actually never got around to doing this test. I think I had it scheduled for the next appointment that I didn't make it to, but honestly I can't remember. Blame it on the pregnancy brain. So this was a whole new experience for me. I asked my girlfriend, who's due any day now, about what to expect and that really helped. Not only was it helpful to know that she fasted, but it also eased my fears about the ordeal test. Most people act like it's the most horrible thing you'll do during pregnancy, but I can now let y'all in on a little secret. It's not nearly as bad as they tell you haha.
   For starters, the drink doesn't taste that bad. I went with the fruit punch flavor(my friend's suggestion!) and it tasted pretty good at first, after a while though I was ready to be done with it. It's actually clear now, which surprised me. Good news for the pregnant ladies with dye allergies! One downside is it's more to drink than I thought. It's about the size of a small water bottle. I did have an upset tummy afterwards, but no nausea. Then about an hour later they tested my blood and I was done! They don't even have to test your blood beforehand. I should find out my results tomorrow, so please say a prayer for me!
 

Here's Baby H #2 at 25 weeks and a day!

And again! I think his nose will be a cross between Dillon's and my mom's!

   When I went to my doctor's last week (25 weeks) I also saw the specialists. Baby H #2 weighted 1 lb. 10 oz., and according to my pregnancy app he should weight more than 2 lbs. this week and be 14 inches long. His eyes are starting to open around this time, and he can even sense light in there. Which seems crazy to me that he can now tell that. At this point most of his development is all about putting on weight and height. If you need a visual of where he's at you could equate him to....

I don't think I've ever heard of this, but the Parisian bakery theme is my favorite. Probably because I'm always hungry...

So cute!

    I am curious as to how I'm going to expand any more to accommodate Baby H #2. At this rate at 9 months my stomach will be entering a room 5 minutes before I do. People still wanna know if this is just one. Even if they have asked before haha. One lady I know thinks it could be 2 or 3. She's serious.

The bump at 25 weeks and a day last Tuesday!

The bump today at 26 weeks and a day! Man, I wear a lot of dark blue!

   Symptoms are just the same, no decrease and no increase. I go back this Friday for an ultrasound. I had a little concern over his lack of movement during the glucose test, which if you didn't know sugar usually makes babies move a lot. My nurse and doctor did a non-stress test, and everything looked great for a 26 week baby. But my doctor still wanted to see me Friday as a precaution. Oddly enough he started moving quite a bit towards the end of the appointment and after. Go figure! I'll keep y'all posted on the glucose test! Thanks for reading y'all!

P.s. Don't forget to 'like' my Facebook page for the latest updates!
  
June Is Busting Out All Over!

Baby H #2 Update: Weeks 4 To 22

Things I'm Using In My 2nd Pregnancy

Baby H #2 Update: Weeks 23 & 24

Things I'm Using In My 2nd Pregnancy

    This pregnancy has definitely been a different experience than my last pregnancy, at least so far. More doctor visits, more ultrasounds, more things I never even worried about with James. But that's for another day and another post. Today I thought I'd share with y'all some of the things I'm using with this pregnancy that I didn't use with my first one.

• Body Pillow

    I never had any issue getting comfortable enough to sleep until about 26 weeks with my first pregnancy, so I never got a body pillow. With this pregnancy I was uncomfortable at about 8 weeks haha. We got this one at Walmart for $10, which is way better than paying $60 for one of those pregnancy pillows. The body pillow also comes in handy as a barrier between me and hubby since he like to roll over on me in his sleep. Not fun.

• Fetal Heart Doppler

    This has been such a comfort to have. I use it every morning. I ordered it off of Amazon for about $45. It requires batteries but you don't have to change them that often. I just bought some lubricating jelly to use with it, although it did come with a small tube of jelly. If you're planning to buy one you can bring it to your doctor or midwife and they can show you how to use it. But there's also a ton of videos on YouTube where they show you how to use it, which is what I did. I was able to hear Baby H #2's heartbeat with this at about 9 weeks. If I could only recommend one thing to someone newly pregnant, this would definitely be it!

• Water Bottle

 

   Now I drank plenty of water with my first, but as most of you know I'm sure, they just had a huge recall on bottled water. Yay(not). But I still need to drink plenty of water. So I got this^! I found it at Target in the dollar section for $3. It holds about 28 fl. oz., which equates to a little over 3 servings of water. I also love my Brita filter pitcher. I would have included it on this list but I was using it before both pregnancies. It was a wedding present from one of Dillon's aunts. We didn't even register for it, but it has become something we use everyday!

• Up & Up Prenatal Gummy Multivitamins

    I was looking through the aisle of vitamins at Target, specifically prenatal vitamins, and was at a loss. There's just soooo many options. With my first I had such horrible indigestion, partly from the vitamins I was taking. So I switched to Flintstones gummy vitamins. They definitely helped with some of the indigestion I was having, but I wasn't sure I wanted to continue them with this pregnancy. So back to the vitamin aisle. I was still looking when a mom with 2 kids, one of them under a year picked up these^ vitamins. I asked her how she liked them, and she said she loves them! She used them with both of her kids and they never made her feel any different. Score! I picked some up and I have to say, she was right, they're great! They're basically the same as Vitafusion's prenatal gummy vitamins. Only these are $7 instead of $10. There's 90 in here, and you take 2 a day.

    I hope you enjoyed reading about what I'm using with this pregnancy. Happy hump day y'all!

10 Uses For Apple Cider Vinegar

   Hey y'all, happy hump day! Whether you feel like the week is basically over or maybe not over soon enough, I hope you'll find some joy in today. I choose to believe it's actually November and Baby H #2 is about to arrive. Or has arrived. I'll settle for either.
    Anyways, I wanted to give y'all a post filled with great tips that hopefully are new to you. In case you haven't heard apple cider vinegar is like the fix all you've been waiting for. I've been using it for a variety of things for about 3 years now. My mom actually turned me onto it. So now I'm passing it along to y'all. Some of these tips or ideas are things I've used and some are ideas that came from my online research. Well here we go!

1. Drink a tablespoon or two
    Now before you start downing your apple cider vinegar I must warn you that you have to dilute it with either water, juice, or soda. It does have acid so you can't drink it straight. Trust me. When I drink it I usually put it in cranberry or apple juice. It helps with your digestive system, losing weight, for hiccups, bloating, lowers cholesterol, lowers blood pressure. I could go on!

2. Various cleaning products
    With all of the different, pretty much unknowable, chemicals in a lot of cleaning products you may be thinking of making your own. Well apple cider vinegar is a great antiseptic so it can be used all over your home. Just take a look around Pinterest for five minutes and you'll stumble upon a homemade cleaning product that involves apple cider vinegar.

3. For sunburns
   I personally thought this was an awesome tip for this time of year. I wish I had known this as an ten year old lobster. Apparently you just rub apple cider vinegar all over the sunburned areas and it prevents blistering and peeling, takes away the pain, helps it to heal, and will turn your burn into a tan! I thankfully haven't had a sunburn this summer, so I have no opportunity to try it. But if you find yourself in this miserable place, give apple cider vinegar a shot!

4. As a facial toner
   I really liked this when I used it. Basically all you have to do is take equal parts water and apple cider vinegar, put it in a water bottle, and tab it on your face using a cotton ball. That's it. It's only two ingredients, all natural, and a money saver. I call that a triple thread!

5. A hair rinse
    All you need to remember is 1/3 apple cider vinegar, 2/3 water. You can put it in a spray bottle, or just put it in a cup. I just use a cup. You saturate your whole head with the mixture when you get in the shower, making sure it gets in your roots good. I leave it on for five minutes, rinse, then shampoo and condition as usual. It takes out all the buildup that your hairs hangs onto from your hair products and leaves it's much brighter. I've been using it for a while, and I love it!!!

6. For eczema
     Now I've never used it for this reason so I can't say it's good enough to stop seeing your dermatologist, but it's worth a try! What you do is take 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar and 3 cups water. Take a cotton ball and dab the mixture on the affected areas, or you can use a spray bottle. The article says it does burn like crazy so blow on it. You can dilute with more water but the healing process is longer. Do this every morning and night. That mixture is what the woman who wrote the article used on her child. She says that after using it for a year they only have to use this every three or four months, so I'd say that's a pretty successful story! Please note this is not a substitute for seeing a doctor about this condition and I'm not trying to give out medical advice. Just something I thought a lot of people might benefit from knowing about!

7. As a doggy wash
    Apparently this is suppose to prevent itching for your dog. It's just 2 cups warm water and 1 cup apple cider vinegar. Mix well, pour over your dog from back of neck to tail avoiding their eyes. Do not rinse out, dry your dog as normal.

8. As a natural weed killer
    If you have doggies or kiddos you might be worried about using the store bought weed killer. Here's one you shouldn't have to worry about. It's a 1/2 gallon of apple cider vinegar, 1/4 cup salt, and 1/2 tablespoon Dawn liquid dish soap. Simply pour in spray bottle, and get spraying!

9. As a foot soak
    This is another of my favorite uses for apple cider vinegar. Take 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, 1/2 cup mouthwash, and 1 cup warm water. Mix in a bucket or whatever you usually soak your feet in. Leave your feet in it for about 10 minutes. Once you take your feet out, dry them off with a towel, rubbing off any excess skin, then moisture with your favorite lotion. It's so tingly and feels great on your feet. It leaves your feet so soft, I was shocked the first time I tried it! You may have to use a little more water to have it over your feet, which shouldn't dilute the mixture too much.

10. Bee stings
     Last but definitely not least is using apple cider vinegar for bee stings. All you do is dab apple cider vinegar(no water added) onto the stung area with a cotton ball. Be sure to hold the cotton ball on the area until the initial pain is gone. You can use this for wasps stings too!

    I hope y'all found at least one of these 10 apple cider vinegar tips and ideas helpful! If you happen to use apple cider vinegar for other things I'd love to hear! Have a great Wednesday!