tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57867512571661840542024-03-08T04:30:36.784-08:00Keeping up with the soon-to-be KiliansActive Approach Chiropractichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12370989941118933537noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5786751257166184054.post-1100777218155582402014-08-10T19:14:00.002-07:002014-08-10T19:14:44.729-07:0018 months old18 months old: Here is to another attempt at doing a blog post. K literally changes by the day and I fall more in love with her by the day too. She is so much fun (and work:)) right now.
New things she is saying: Points at Ave and says ‘no,’ “here you go ave” while she motions for her to come (when I figured out what she was saying I started paying attention to how often I say that...it’s a lot, fish, hot, ‘thank you’ while she signs it too, Please, amen...
Have I ever said this girl can eat?! I have never seen anything like it. Her little (big) belly cracks us up. She loves fruit, salmon, noodles, rice, eggs, pancakes, smoothies, bean burritos, almond milk, coconut water, guac, veggie straws, etc. She is still gf/df and no chicken or beef yet. She is obsessed with my Mom’s brown beans and carrots. Yes...we are still strict on her diet.
She loves getting adjusted. This has not always been the case. I am so grateful. I am also so grateful that I am able to adjust her to keep her nervous system healthy. I am on a mission to adjust as many kids as I can because they all need it.
I was oot for work 2 weekends in a row and then I was sick last weekend so my time with her has been limited but this weekend we made up for lost time and we both needed it. We played a lot and had some much needed snuggle time. It is hard to say if she is more of a mommy’s girl or daddy’s girl, but I will say she is pretty obsessed with her Daddy these days. She adores him and the feeling is mutual. I absolutely love watching them interact. Alan is such a good Dad and makes it a point to spend time with her.
She is on a pretty strict sleep schedule...what is new?:) A few weeks ago we transitioned to 1 nap. She was sleeping 13 hrs at night but her 2 naps were inconsistent and short. I contacted a sleep consultant whom I already knew and she gave us some pointers. She said she was showing all the signs to transition to 1 nap a day so that is what we did. The only downfall is bedtime is super early (5:30) so I don’t get to see her when I get home from work but like she said...it is only temporary. So yes she goes to bed around 5:30 and will sleep until 6-6:30. That is a little early for my liking but let’s be honest, anything before 9 is early to me:) Her nap will start between 11:30-Noon and she will sleep between 1.5-2 hrs.
Nursing...yes she still nurses but not as much. She usually only wants it first thing in the morning when Alan brings her to me. I love our nursing relationship and plan on nursing as long as she wants to.
She is wearing a size 4 diapers and 18 month clothes. She is a size 4 shoe.
She loves to swim! She will jump to Alan, go under, kick her feet and let Alan toss her in the air and catch her. She isn’t a fan of being in or on a raft though. Today, we put her life jacket/floaty deal on her and she swam by herself! That was a first. Alan installed lock up high on all of the doors because she will open the door and walk outside now. YIKES!
Active Approach Chiropractichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12370989941118933537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5786751257166184054.post-39097970033342806542014-08-10T19:08:00.001-07:002014-08-10T19:08:17.052-07:00One of my tangentsThis was a response I wrote to a friend of mine who questions vaccines but she is a pediatric nurse and gets a lot of backlash from her colleagues. It sums up what Alan and I believe and why we don't vaccinate.
Go back to the basics regarding health: Does health start or come from “above down inside out” or does it come from an external source? i.e. Did God give our bodies enough intelligence to know how to work or did he mess up and we need to intervene with something external like medicine or vaccines for everything? Fever for instance...What is our normal body temperature? 98.6. So if we run outside and we sweat, why do we sweat? To keep our temp at 98.6. If it’s zero degrees and we are standing outside and we start shivering why do we do that? To keep our body temp at 98.6. So if we have a fever or our child has one and the body temperature raises to kill the virus or bacteria, are we or our child sick or healthy when this happens? Mainstream says sick but if our temperature didn’t raise what could potentially happen? So we are actually well when we have a fever. If we run and grab tylenol are we interfering with the intelligence of our body? That is for you to decide but that is why we view fever as a good thing. Do I like to see K with a fever? Not at all but I trust in God’s design that her body is working the way he intended it to and I do my best to nurture her but not interfere. So back to health, with or without vaccines, it comes down to survival of the fittest and the body’s ability to adapt to stresses whether that is the common cold, measles, whooping cough, etc. We approach it from the standpoint that health comes from within therefore we are going to do our best to keep her immune system as strong as we can because there is always an unknown of what she will face in life. There will always be something to “fear” so to speak. There are always going to be crazy superbugs and viruses and whatnot that kill people. So is the answer to concoct a vaccine for everything that arises? If the answer is yes, which is what so many believe, fast forward 20 years and look at the recommended schedule. If kids today receive 49 doses by 5 yo what will it be then? How much sicker will these kids be than we already see today? I’m going off of a tangent but I think it comes down to how you view health before vaccines come into question if that makes sense. For us...first and foremost we get adjusted regularly because decreased nerve function=decreased health. Working in the profession you do, have you ever thought how much the sick kids you see could benefit with getting an adjustment? Even if the meds are necessary, why not get their nervous systems functioning better? In my heart, I believe that vaccines are damaging kids today. I don’t believe they are the answer. I see it in my practice. I also see parents who don’t have a clue what their kids even get when they get vaccinated and it pisses me off for the kids sake. Regardless of what you choose, imo we owe it to our kids to know what we are giving them. People spend more time looking at food labels and car seat safety than they ever do questioning what is in a vaccine.
End of rant:)
Active Approach Chiropractichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12370989941118933537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5786751257166184054.post-31693512431390342082014-08-10T19:03:00.000-07:002014-08-10T19:03:22.304-07:00Kayman 16 months16 months and FINALLY walking and FINALLY saying Momma!
16 months and also bites and hits. For some reason I seem to be the culprit of most of the violence:) She is a mess but hilarious at the same time.
More words she is saying: Nurse, bird, peas (Please), es (yes), booby, Aw-ave every time she sees Avery, Nana, Gigi.
She is still a good eater. She has times where she will be finicky and fight whatever we give her but I’m sure that is typical for her age so we just go with it. She has still not had dairy, gluten, meat or fish. She drinks coconut milk, almond milk and water. I struggle with trying to be creative on things we give her since we are trying to avoid things that are not good for her.
She loves playing with her toys. One of her favorites is a teapot that makes noise when she tips it over. She will pretend to take a drink and smack her lips. She is very independent and if you sit her down in her playroom she will play well by herself. I love just watching her and seeing what she comes up with on her own. She loves purses and babies and anything she can sort. We get rocks from the backyard and she will play with those for as long as you let her.
She is in The Little Gym and has so much fun. It is fun watching her interact with the other kiddos. She is always willing to give all of them open mouth kisses. Mika has taken her several times and she says the teacher always tells her how smart K is. Of course all parents think their kids are smart and we are no different:) but it is always nice when someone not biased compliments your child.
A couple of weeks ago I gave her a bath. Well I must have had the temperature a little to warm and she freaked when I sat her down. Now she HATES bath time. Way to go Mom. She is also not a fan of the pool yet. I honestly can’t blame her since the water is cold but we enrolled her in swim lessons that start in a little over a week so hopefully she will do well since Lindsey is taking her. Lindsey is our new nanny...more on Mika leaving later:(
Her personality develops more each day. It is so fun watching her change. I thank God everyday that he chose me to be her Mommy. She has her moments that test me. It is in those moments I see some of my personality shining through:) She likes to get her way. Period. And if she doesn’t, look out for a flying hand or a bite!:) As independent as she is she is still my little snuggler and is still my nursing queen. I have quit pumping for the most part but she still has a nursing session first thing in the am and before bed. If I am home with her she sneaks in a few more:)
Active Approach Chiropractichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12370989941118933537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5786751257166184054.post-79505121258350813232014-08-10T19:01:00.002-07:002014-08-10T19:01:51.990-07:00Kayman 15 monthsI have word document that I have been "blogging on" but have yet to take the time to post so here goes a bunch of catch up posts.
Kayman is quickly approaching 15 months. How is that even possible??
What she is doing/saying now:
She says Choo Choo when you ask her what a train says and “Moooo” for cow.
She pretends to take a drink from her teacup and then smacks her lips together. I see a toy kitchen in her future:)
She will raise her arms in the air when you tell her to “Praise the Lord.” Samantha, Mika’s daughter, taught her that.
She still loves to kiss everyone...with tongue:)
She likes to splash her feet in the pool.
She has started hitting when she gets frustrated or tired and the other day she bit her Gpa. If we would have done that as a child, he would have bit us back but not his baby girl:) She is one stubborn, strong willed little girl. And spoiled;)
She calls Avery “Ab-er-ee” and Lolita (one of Gma and Gpa’s chihuahuas) “O-Lee.”
She actually will go to anyone. No stranger danger with this kid.
We took her to The Little Gym recently and she loved it. For not being a daycare kid she really loves interacting and being around other kids.
She is still wearing a size 3 diaper, 12-18 month clothes and a size 3 in shoes. When we took her to her checkup at 14 mos she weighed 21.3 lbs and was 28” long.
She is still a healthy eater and we are so thankful for that. Right or wrong, Alan and I have the philosophy that if she doesn’t know any different, then there is no reason to offer her a “treat” that is really crap for her anyway. From the get go, this is something that we both agreed we would be very strict on and so far we have stuck to it. I know that he and I don’t have the best eating habits but we hope we raise her to make better choices than we do. Let’s be honest...I love me some icing!!:)
She still takes 2 naps most days and is still going to bed at 7pm most nights. She wakes up between 7-7:30 on most days.
Last week she was sick. At my lunch time Mika sent me a text saying she was running a fever on Tuesday and did I want to see her. I met them at home and took her temp. It was 102.6. Her cheeks were bright red and she was acting a bit tired and uncomfortable but overall Mika said she had been acting fine most of the day. Rather than Mika taking her back to her house Gma and Gpa came to the rescue and spent the afternoon with her. That night she continued to have a high temp. I adjusted her Tuesday, Scott Adjusted her Wed and Thurs. and Heather on Friday. We used oils on her and colloidal silver in her ears in case it was her ears. By Saturday she was back to her chipper self and with her big appetite. A few weeks ago when we took her to Dr. Ross for her checkup, about 3 days prior she had a 101.5 temp one night. We didn’t think much of it. Fast forward to her apt: I met my parents there and they said she has been more fussy than normal. Turns out she had bilateral ear infections. Dr. Ross, who is very supportive of our natural approach told my parents that he would write a Rx “just in case” but to adjust her and give her probiotics. She was fine soon after and we didn’t even pick up the Rx. Active Approach Chiropractichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12370989941118933537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5786751257166184054.post-63732216815667949742014-03-03T19:12:00.000-08:002014-03-03T19:12:02.944-08:00Kayman 13 months
The last month flew by! It doesn’t help that February is a short month but our little one turned 13 months yesterday! She literally makes us smile and laugh all of the time.
What she is doing/trying to say now:
She says “awww” to everything, especially right after she gives someone/something a kiss.
She says “mmmm” after she takes a bite/drink of something.
She claps and plays peek-a-boo with her hands now.
She still loves to eat:) She is such a good eater and will pretty much eat anything you put in front of her. I have started making smoothies in the mornings with almond milk and she loves eating/drinking them. Tonight she ate sauteed green and red peppers. She still has not had any meat but eats plenty of eggs and beans.
She likes to drink out of a straw, especially out of my big cups.
She puts the phone up to her ear and babbles.
She give hugs and will lay her head on your chest when you ask her for one.
She loves seeing and playing with kids. If we are out running errands and she sees a kid she always tries to reach for them and get their attention. She loves playing with her cousins.
She is starting to take an interest in books. She will sit on your lap and let you read to her.
She isn’t walking yet except behind her push toys. My Mom (Gma) swears she took 2 steps last night while Alan and I were at the KU/OSU game in Stillwater. Go figure we weren’t there to witness it:)
Alan and I took a mini vacation 2 weeks ago to Naples. Since we returned she has slept from 7-7:15 EVERY NIGHT!!! Hallelujah!!! She was sleeping all night before we left but waking around 6 every morning. That is a little too early for this Momma:)
Before bed, she will nurse, we say the Lord’s prayer and pray and rock. Some nights she will be a little restless fighting wanting to go down so I will stand up with her and the second I say “Our Father who Art in Heaven,...” She will lay her head on my chest and immediately calm down.
I absolutely love our mornings together. Alan will go and get her and change her diaper. He brings her to our bed so she can nurse. She will nurse and then in the middle she will unlatch and lean over to give her Daddy an open mouth kiss (face lick:)) and say “awww” and then go straight back to nursing. The relationship she has with her Daddy melts my heart. He is just the best with her and she just adores him. I love watching their relationship evolve.
Our nursing schedule on days I work is nurse first thing in the morning, pump at lunch, nurse right when I get home between 6-6:30 and pump before bed. She is taking around 5 oz while I am at work. On my days off she nurses anytime she wants;) I really love our nursing relationship and bond that we are able to share. We got rid of the bottle last week so she is using a sippy cup with the pumped milk now.
I am really trying at this documenting "what our kid is doing now" stuff. Active Approach Chiropractichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12370989941118933537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5786751257166184054.post-80220774277673643872014-02-08T09:06:00.000-08:002014-02-08T09:06:33.001-08:001 year oldIt is hard to believe Miss K is 1 year old How does time go so fast?!
Here is a post on what she is doing/saying now:
She loves lights and has started saying light/bite. She points to them every where we go and at home. She has learned to put the 't' on the end.
She climbs the stairs. We finally put up a gate after 2 close calls where we took our eyes off of her and she was half way up before we found her. Parenting fail:)
She walks with her push toy and will stand unassisted but she is not walking on her own yet.
This girl can eat. I really don't know where the food goes. Yesterday I cooked her 4 eggs. My plan was to give her 2 and store the other 2 for today since she was also having avocado and pear with it. I left the kitchen to finish getting ready while Alan stayed with her. When I came back I asked where he put the left over eggs...she ate all of them!!
The girl is a chow hound!!!
Foods she is eating: peas, carrots, avocado, black eyed peas, beans, mangos, banana, cauliflower, broccoli, apple, peaches, pears, potatoes, green puffs, eggs, prunes...pretty much most fruits and veggies. She hasn't had any meat and very minimal grains (gluten free.)
Her sleep is inconsistent. The last 3 nights she slept all night but we never know if that will be the case. Our routine is if she wakes, Alan will go and get her, change her and then bring her to me to nurse. I then take her back upstairs and she will go right back to sleep.
She LOVES to nurse. Right now, on my work days, she will nurse first thing in the am (She wakes between 6am-6:30am most days) and right when I get home from work and then of course if she wakes during the night. I pump at lunch and before I go to bed. I am only pumping 2x/day and I am still over it. She is officially that kid that will pull my shirt down or try and lift it to get to the boobs. She is a comfort nurser too.
She will pretty much kiss and go to anyone. If you kiss her, prepare yourself for an open mouth wet one:)
She has the best belly laugh.
She is still wearing a sz. 3 diaper and clothes are 12-18 months. I don't know how much she weighs or how tall she is. We always get that info at her checkup apts and her last one was 2 months ago.
She had her first fever on NYE. Sick babies are the worst. Her temp got to about 103 so she was like holding a little furnace. Alan and I held her all night and got lots of snuggles. She was adjusted and we used oils and she came around NY day. As much as we hated seeing her feel bad we know fevers are actually a good thing so we let her body fight it naturally and I believe she was better quicker because of it.
Her personality develops more and more each day. She is such a happy baby. She loves being around other kids. Alan and We laugh at her constantly because of all of the funny things she is doing or trying to say. She loves to show everyone her "bad cough" or her "sneeze." Sometimes her sneeze sounds like "ah-shit:)". She actually says that sound a lot even when she isn't trying to fake sneeze and we have no idea what she is trying to say.
Mika has taught her to raise her hands in the air when she says "Praise the Lord."
She can point to her ears.
When she gives anything or anyone a kiss, she will say "awww" after.
She can say Dada but she still can't say Momma. She will say baba when I ask her to say Momma. One day...:)
We are so thankful for her and thank God every day that he chose us to be her Mommy and Daddy. Active Approach Chiropractichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12370989941118933537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5786751257166184054.post-17611493070052599812013-11-30T10:47:00.002-08:002013-11-30T10:47:49.174-08:0010 months old in 2 daysEvery day we have more and more fun with her! She is developing quite the personality and is such a happy baby.
She pulls up on everything. She will also walk around whatever she is holding onto. She has gotten brave a couple of times and let go but no unassisted walking yet.
She is such a good eater. She loves banana, pear, apple, mango, peaches, cauliflower, broccoli, avocado and butternut squash. She tolerates green beans but is not a fan of green peas. She has yet to try any brown rice cereal. She still LOVES to nurse and I love it too. I call her my little nursing queen:) She would stay attached all day if I would let her. One of her favorite things is when I let her have both sides and she will go back and forth and gets so excited. For the longest time she was satisfied with one side but now she wants both every time she nurses.
Things she "says" or we think she has said:)...ball, book, hi and she lifts her hand to wave and Dada. She has not said Momma yet.
She is wearing 9-12 month clothing and just last week I bought her size 3 diapers. She can still wear 2's but the brand I wanted didn't have them in stock so I went up a size.
She is on a pretty tight schedule in terms of napping and bedtime. She wakes usually between 6:30-7:30 and nurses. She eats breakfast around 8 and plays. Her first nap is around 9 and she will usually sleep between 1.5-2 hours. She wakes up and nurses when I am with her. She will have a bottle and lunch when Mika or my parents have her. She takes her afternoon nap between 1:30-2:30 and will sleep on average 1-2 hours. Bedtime is at 7. She has only slept through the night a handful of times but when she wakes she will nurse and go back down. She does best when she is at home in her own bed.
Some of my favorite times spent with her are right after she nurses in the morning and she will start talking to Alan and I. I love my morning snuggles.
She is a Momma's girl. Period. And I love it:) She does love her Daddy too!
I fall in love a little more each day:)
Active Approach Chiropractichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12370989941118933537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5786751257166184054.post-75163418177815109742013-11-03T19:52:00.003-08:002013-11-03T19:52:54.530-08:00Kayman 9 months OldI am terrible at keeping up with all of Kayman's milestones. I will have to figure out when she started doing everything but here is what she is doing now.
She crawls and pull up on any and everything.
She loves opening drawers.
She has said Dada and babbles all of the time.
She loves to nurse. I mean LOVES to nurse. She would stay attached all day if I would let her.
She is currently eating spaghetti squash, avocado and sweet peas. She is not a big fan of the avocado and peas. Did I mention she LOVES to nurse?:)
She give kisses to pretty much anyone. I know she is wrapping Alan around her pinky a little tighter each kiss:)
She doesn't sleep all night yet...back to that nursing thing:)
She will look around when I ask her "Where is your sister (Avery)? and where is your Daddy until she finds them?
She is not a fan of getting adjusted by me yet but she does good when Scott Farley does it.
She is more interested in things that are not toys than her toys right now.
She does great in the car thankfully because there was a point in time where she hated being in her car seat.
I could keep going on and on but I need to pump before she wakes up.Active Approach Chiropractichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12370989941118933537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5786751257166184054.post-20326913178326975212013-11-03T19:45:00.000-08:002013-11-03T19:45:17.493-08:00Perspective3 days ago we had family/Kayman’s 9 month pics scheduled for 8am. I was determined to have all of our outfits coordinated way in advance since I have waited until the last minute for all of our other sessions, so several weeks ago I bought Kayman’s outfit. What I didn’t do was make sure it fit. I set it out a couple days before and asked Mika to try it on her since she wasn’t having it before I left for work. Of course it was too big. Needless to say I went back to square one and started hitting every store to find something. I laid everything out, including Avery’s new collar:) the night before trying to make the morning of as seamless as possible. We got out the door in time (rarely happens with me in tow) and we were ready. “We” as in Alan and I...Kayman didn’t get the memo that family pictures is a time we should smile and act like we are enjoying ourselves. Lately she has been very clingy to me, so Alan and I planned that when our photographer was taking pics of her by herself I would leave the area and let him help because if she sees me she wants to be held. We did the family portion first and she didn’t smile once, but she also didn’t cry. Then came time for her to be solo. Whoa Nelly...she was pissed! She screamed and then she screamed some more and that was a wrap. I wasn’t a happy camper either at that point. We get in the car and I am all “FML.” Alan, my rational better half, is saying at least we have a baby that we can take family pics with and it is not that big of a deal. Of course I know he is right but I decide to pout and be negative Nancy for awhile. I know I am over reacting. And so does Alan and my Mom when I called her to tell her Kayman didn’t smile once.
And then I read this post by another Mom on FB:
“We've been home for two weeks now but it hasn't felt like it because of all the clinic appointments. I pretty much melted down Tuesday night by bedtime. Between three CMH appointments in 6 days and the stress of an impending MRI, I was done for.
Thankfully we Adele got good results back on her MRI. Everything was stable, her primary tumor measured .1 cm smaller but tumors are considered stable unless they have a certain percentage of growth or shrinking. The lesions on her spine haven't changed. The best news was that the enhancement of her primary tumor has greatly decreased. A tumor enhances or shows up more on an MRI when it has lots of blood flow. As that blood flow decreases, the tumor is less active or even dying and it enhances less. Her doctors are very hesitant to say her tumor is dead but they have said it could be.
We met with the radiation oncologist and thankfully didn't learn anything new. When we met with the transplant doc it was like a horror movie, bad statistics chased by scary side effects. All kinds of new information that we hadn't thought about before. I really expected the radiation meeting to go the same. The radiation oncologist was amazing. She clearly had read Adele's files, she knew all of her history, she even knew the big kids names and ages. Peter had to work so I put the phone on speaker and she even moved the phone closer to her so Peter could hear better. She told us all the same things, that spinal radiation could affect her spine bone growth, she will definitely have cognitive issues, she could have thyroid or pituitary gland issues, and she might continue to have low blood counts. We know from past experience that Adele has exceeded all expectations so we hope and pray that the radiation fallout will be minimal.
Kids under 3 can only get a certain dose of radiation, kids over 3 get a higher dose, one concern is that the lower dose isn't as effective as the higher dose. The radiation doc did say there isn't any statistics to really show one way or the other the difference in the higher dose vs. the lower dose.
She will get radiation every day for about 6 weeks. We requested the OKC proton radiation center to get the more specifically targeted radiation vs. the more spread out standard radiation. We now wait to hear from her doctor that the OKC center has accepted Adele and a start date. We anticipate starting in a week or so. She will get complete brain and spine radiation as well as extra boosts of radiation to her primary tumor site. The radiation center will make a special mask that molds to her head to keep it in exactly the same position every time. She has to be sedated every time so that she stays still. So she will be sedated 5 days a week for 6 weeks. The actual radiation only takes a few minutes but the set up and sedation will take an hour or two.
We don't know yet where we will stay in OKC, I did ask the CMH social worker to check out options for us. Everything has always worked itself out, I have faith that this will work out as well.
I was pretty terrified that we would get bad MRI results, I'm so thankful that they were good. I get so much hope from all of you and your positivity. Thank you.
Adele does need a platelet transfusion tomorrow, she gets lab work drawn twice a week to keep track of her blood counts. She will go to Wesley hospital here in Wichita for the transfusion. I can't even remember the exact count but Adele has had between 30 and 40 transfusions of red blood cells and/or platelets. We would like to have a blood drive in honor of Adele at some point because we are so thankful to everyone who donates blood.
Please pray that Adele continues to do well, that her appetite continues to improve and that radiation is the final one two punch we need to knock this cancer out for good.
Fr. Kapaun, pray for Adele. Immaculate Heart of Mary pray for Adele.”
I made a big deal about Kayman not smiling at family pics. Not my most proud parenting moment. This is a story I have been following for some time. This sweet girl is a best friend of mine’s friend’s daughter from her hometown. I read this post to Alan this morning and I asked, “Can you imagine?” I can’t and I pray to God we never have to know what these parents and this sweet innocent child is having to endure along with the many other families facing similar struggles. My Mom knows exactly what this family is going through and I know there is not a day that goes by that she doesn’t think about her sweet baby girl she lost 37 years ago.
That is a big dose of putting things in perspective. That is the last time I will complain about family pics not going as planned. Thank you God for our healthy and happy baby girl.Active Approach Chiropractichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12370989941118933537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5786751257166184054.post-89823226312962124892013-09-08T19:06:00.000-07:002013-09-08T19:06:24.358-07:00Our Birth StoryThis was our birth story I wrote soon after Kayman was born. I thought I would post to my blog that I am determined to tend to on a regular basis:)
Our Birth Story
To preface, this will be lengthy considering our labor was much longer than I ever anticipated. On Thursday, January 31, one day after our “due date,” I began having contractions at work when I returned from lunch. I ate a Wendy’s cheeseburger and fries fyi. I was timing them and they were coming every 10-15 minutes or so. I had actually forgotten I had timed them until I was looking at a notepad from work randomly after she was born and saw all of the times written down. I was thinking it might be the real deal, but wasn’t completely sure. They were definitely strong enough to get my attention but I continued to work. I just knew I was not leaving work early because we were having a record week and I was bound and determined to finish strong since it was going to be my last day before maternity leave regardless of when she decided to make her debut. At one point I was walking by my office manager, Mika, and she looked at me and said, “I think we are going to have a baby tomorrow morning.” I wish she would have been right:) After work, I went home and did a prenatal yoga session with Celeste McNeal. I informed her about what I had been experiencing and she cautioned that women can do that and to not get overly anxious. During the session, I only had 2 contractions so I was thinking it was false labor earlier in the day. After she left, Alan and I decided to go to Red Lobster for a late dinner since it was already 9pm. Random since we have never eaten at Red Lobster:) As we were walking in, I had a pretty strong contraction. It was to the point I went directly into the bathroom before we were seated to wait it out. We ate and as we were leaving I had another one. Again, it was pretty strong. We went to bed around 11:30. I began having them at the same pace as earlier in the day. Alan, trying to be helpful, kindly reminded me that I should rest in between contractions. I might have snapped at him a little since it was difficult to rest when they were as strong as they were. Needless to say, Alan was able to get some sleep that night and I was up dealing with the contractions. Thankfully he did get sleep since we had 2 nights like that. I sent Sarah, our Doula, a text at 1:04 am informing her my contractions were 10-12 min. apart and EVERY contraction I urinated. Weird, but I guess it’s not uncommon. She didn’t respond until 6:28am which was my fault since I should have called, but I didn’t think it was too urgent at that point or I would have called. She said “Don’t try and ‘do’ everything right, just ‘be’ present and listen to what your body is telling you. Relax your forehead, your jaw and your shoulders. When you release those parts the rest of your body will follow. Your baby’s birthday is today!!” I wish she would have been right:) I took a bath around 7 am, per Sarah’s recommendation, and listened to the hypnobirthing birth affirmations. It was very relaxing. Did I mention Alan was still sleeping?:) I got back in bed and relaxed in between contractions. Alan and I listened to a hypnobirthing cd together mid morning and I really think it hypnotized me because I was out for about an hour, yet it seemed like I had slept for 12 hours. I have no idea if I was having contractions or not. At the time, it was exactly what my body needed since I didn’t sleep the night before. The contractions continued throughout the day. It seemed like they would be consistent and then slow down. Sarah came by mid afternoon to check on us. She recommended that since we had been laboring at home all day, we should get out of the house and walk. I should mention I was scheduled to meet with Dr. Donnelly, my OB, at 11:30am but we cancelled the appointment for obvious reasons. I spoke with Dawn, her nurse and they continued to monitor my progress throughout the day. I was aware that Dr. Donnelly would only be available until 5pm to deliver me and then Dr. Lauralee Ribaudo MD would be on call over the weekend. Back to the labor, Alan and I got in the car and went to Starbucks. Right when we walked in, I had another strong contraction. Again, I immediately went to the bathroom to breathe through it. We then went to Promenade mall to walk. I wanted to find another robe so I would have 2 at the hospital just in case. I honestly don’t know how long we were at the mall, but my contractions were strong. I’m sure I received a few stares. We were in Macy’s when a sales associate asked me when I was due. Yesterday actually:) She really encouraged me to have the natural childbirth and told me she was sure it was going to be a wonderful experience. She was a very nice lady. We found a robe ...and it was on sale:) We went home and things were progressing at the same pace...slower than I wanted!! We got in bed that night but it didn’t last long for me because lying on my side made the pain almost unbearable so I was up trying different positions to make myself more comfortable. Up until this point, Alan was being a wonderful support to me but it was about midnight-1am when he took it to a different level. I was sitting on a stool leaning over the bed when I had a meltdown. Alan got out of bed and took it upon himself to get what I like to call my “Hugh Hefner chair,” pillows, a cold rag and had me sit in it while he was behind me massaging me. He could not have chosen a better time to take charge as I was struggling and was getting frustrated due to discomfort and lack of sleep. Also, I had no idea a cold rag would feel as comforting to me as it did. So much so I took it with me to the hospital and put it up to my face during every contraction so I could breathe in the cool air from it. I bet Alan and Sarah collectively made it colder for me no less than 50 times:) It was almost like a “security blanket” for me as weird as that sounds. Sarah came over to our house around 3am. We walked the house for awhile. At around 4:30am, she decided it might be best if we transport. She said I was a “quiet laborer” and was not exactly sure where I was in the process. I bet she changed her mind about me being quiet about 9cm dilated:) We arrived at the hospital at 5am. We checked in and they sent us to triage. I got changed and “checked.” I was 6-7cm dilated and 90% effaced from what I remember. I was actually encouraged with that progress and was thinking she would be here soon. As expected and taught in our Bradley class, labor typically slows down when you transport to the hospital and this is exactly what happened. Once we were settled in our room, we started walking the halls, which helped it start back up again. Sarah suggested we change positions every 30 or so minutes so I went from sitting on the bed indian style, to sitting on the birthing ball, to walking, etc. My friend, Bre Batey, came in to adjust me and work on acupressure points. I was grateful she was so patient since she lives out of town and was not expecting to hang around as long as she did. She drove in Friday. Chiropractic is such an important part of our lives and it was comforting to get adjusted at such a life changing event. One thing I did that I wasn’t planning on doing as frequently as I did was allow vaginal checks. At first I was encouraged, but then I started getting frustrated when I was stuck at an 8cm for what seemed like forever. Looking back I wonder if I was mentally stuck which was causing me to be physically stuck. I remember at one point going into the bathroom alone and just breaking down. I was tired but I also had fear. I’m not sure what exactly it was I was fearing. I will presume the unknown. Dr. Ribaudo came in and suggested we break my water. She thought that would help things progress faster. I asked if we could have a minute to discuss it. The 3 of us talked about it. Sarah said that it would be more intense since the contractions would be closer together but as far as intensity, they would not be more intense than I had been handling. I agreed to letting her break my water. Before they did I told Alan to go and see if my Mom wanted to come see me before things progressed. He went out there and told her she could come in, but I guess he also told her I was in “distress” and she declined. It was probably a good thing because I know she would not have wanted to see me in pain. The apparatus used to break the water is much more intimidating and misleading as I felt zero pain, but talk about a gush! All would have been ok but little Miss K decided to poo in the womb as there was meconium in the fluid. This meant that NICU would have to be present at the birth in case she were to aspirate any of the fluid. The contractions became closer and closer together and were becoming more difficult to bear. Sarah suggested I sit on the toilet and bear down. I will spare you the details but in all honesty, at that point I really didn’t care much about anything. I remember learning and reading about losing all modesty. It could not have been more true. I just started stripping down. I didn’t even want my headphones on anymore. As a side note, up until this point, I had been listening to not only hypnobirthing cds, but Celine Dion, who I admit I am obsessed with and one Whitney Houston song that I downloaded during labor, “One Moment in Time.” I know it’s cheesy but I was in bed one night way before she was born and I heard that song. The lyrics say, “Give me one moment in time, where I am more than I thought I could be...” It resonated with me and it was helpful to me during labor. Back to where I was...Sarah also suggested I force myself to vomit, which I did. After the bathroom timeout, we moved back to the bed where I was on all fours leaning over the top of the elevated bed. At this point, rather than breathing through the contractions, I was just bearing down. I remember Sarah asking if I felt her and I really wasn’t sure. And then I really did feel her and knew exactly what I was supposed to feel. It felt like she was right there, but then she went back up. I started vomiting again in this position but it was spontaneous. Sarah asked Sherri if they had a birthing bar for the bed, which they did. They set it up and I had all my weight hanging from it and squatting. I thought that was how I was going to give birth but Sherri came in and told me I had to lay on my side as they had lost her heartbeat. It was quickly found. I told Sherri not to scare me like that. It was on my side I felt her again and I knew she would be there soon. They called Dr. Ribaudo and by the time she got in the room she was crowning. I was on my right side holding onto the railing of the bed with my left leg pushing against the bar and Dr. Ribaudo had my right leg. I felt her head come out. They said it was 45 seconds before the rest of her came out as she had shoulder dystocia. I felt Dr. Ribaudo “go in” after her and I remember hearing them say something to the effect of you have to push and get her out. And so I did:) 41 hours after labor started, she was here on February 2, 2013 at 4:35 pm!! What a blur! They immediately put her on my chest...best feeling in the world. I told her...”we did it.” It’s easy to think I was the only one laboring but she was too that whole time. I asked Alan where he was during the whole process as he does not like the site of blood. He said he was leaning over my head talking in my ear during all of the pushing. I honestly don’t remember. He also told me the NICU Dr. on call was ready to cut the cord immediately and take her but Alan told him no and to put her on my chest as we were waiting for the cord to stop pulsating. I’m so proud of him for saying that because I had no idea what was going on. I don’t know how long it was before the cord stopped but he said Dr. Ribaudo showed him it had stopped and let him cut it. They did end up taking her from me because her body temp was too low. Hindsight, I wish I would not have let them because she needed to be skin to skin with me but in the moment that is what happened. Alan was with her. One of the nurses said, “did you hear what she weighed Mom?” I said “no” and she told me 8.2 lbs. That explained a lot!:) I was shocked she was that big!! Dr. Donnelly was guessing around a 6-7 lb baby since I had only gained 15lbs. She was a little chunk and was 21” long and she was perfect! True to fashion, she was stubborn and born during the KU/OSU game. Oh the irony:) Alan was with her while they were doing her footprints, etc and he pulls out his phone to check the score and casually brings his phone over to me to show me his Pokes are winning with 1:35 left. I tell him to turn the tv on. My legs are still in stirrups. A nurse in the room said, “You really are a fan.” Yes I am:)
The whole series of events was surreal and I as reflect, it is still surreal I am one stubborn person and I knew I wanted to do it all natural. I “preach” a lot in my practice and even outside of my practice about the potential dangers of all of the interventions that I believe are abused and can cause more complications. Thankfully we have the interventions we do for an emergency situation and I would never have hesitated to utilize them if Kayman or myself would have ever been in danger. We were blessed to have a healthy delivery and with an amazing support system, the power of prayer and sheer determination, we did it 100% natural. As a woman, I have never felt more empowered. It was such an exhilarating feeling the minute I saw her for the first time. I am also thankful I was able to endure the process as it was so much better for Kayman. She didn’t have to feel the effects of any drugs and we believe she was more alert because of it. Alan actually asked a nursery nurse if she noticed a difference with natural births v. births with pain meds and she said definitely yes and the babies are more alert. She was adjusted within the first hour after birth by Bre. I can’t think of a better way to start out her new life. It sure beats the hep b vaccine! Chiropractic will be such an integral part of how she is raised and I felt so thankful Bre stayed to give her first adjustment. Our baby was wide eyed right in the middle of the night her first night too:) We kept her in our room the entire stay, which was only 24 hours after she was born, and when they took her to the nursery, Alan was by her side. We actually got more sleep the night she was born compared to the previous 2 nights:)
Before we got pregnant, we discussed whether or not we would like to do a home, hospital or birth center birth. Alan was adamant we were in the hospital to deliver. I was torn for various reasons. One is we go against the grain on a lot of things that are standard practice. It’s not that we want to be defiant, but rather we have educated ourselves on a number of things pertaining to the birth process and beyond. I didn’t want to be on the defensive in the hospital setting. Overall, I can say we had such a positive experience with all of the hospital staff. They really adhered to our birth plan and let us be an integral part in making decisions. They were very respectful of our choice to birth naturally and supported us in any way that they could and for that we are so thankful.
We are also thankful for the support Sarah provided. We both knew that regardless of where we decided to deliver, we would hire a doula. Sarah was the first and only person we met with, even though we had planned to meet several and then decide. We both felt very comfortable with her at our initial meeting and knew she would be the perfect fit for us. I do not think I would have been able to hold out without her presence and I know Alan agrees. She has attended many births and knows what to do. Us on the other hand have not and because it is such an intense and at times an overwhelming environment I might have caved. She not only supported me, but she was a great support for Alan as well. Whether it was words of encouragement during and before labor, getting me apple, orange or grape juice, making my washcloth cold, being there so Alan could step out for a minute, and taking all of the pictures that we will forever cherish, we both owe her a huge thank you. The hospital staff also sang her praises.
After about 45 minutes or so, our parents came back to meet her. There were some proud grandparents in the room!:) They had been waiting all day for her to arrive. Soon after Aunt Heather, Uncle Jake and Stephanie were there. Uncle Josh came after we moved to our postpartum room. Her cousin Hadlea and other friends and family visited on Sunday. There is no doubt Kayman was surrounded by love.
No one could have ever prepared me for the amount of love I would feel for our sweet Kayman. I was recently listening to a Celine song that I had listened to literally hundreds of times before but the lyrics of this song all of a sudden had more meaning. “And I know, there is no other, love like a mother’s love for her child.” Words could not be more true.
Active Approach Chiropractichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12370989941118933537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5786751257166184054.post-36479298736984745832013-09-08T18:51:00.001-07:002013-09-08T18:51:36.088-07:00Kayman 7 months oldKayman turned 7 months while we were on vacation last week. Her personality develops more and more everyday and we fall more and more in love with her everyday. It is crazy to me how much I love her. She has not quite gotten crawling down on her knees but when she wants something, there isn't anything that will get in her way to get there. If it Momma's milk she wants, she will crawl up me and start pulling at my shirt. So what if she wants to nurse until she is 10:) HA In all seriousness, she really is a boob baby. There really is no other way to describe it. On our flight yesterday, we were in the air 4 hours. She was attached a good 3.5 hrs. She is a Momma's girl right now and I LOVE IT! She is not yet sleeping thru the night. She has started eating solids and gets excited when she sees us getting her food ready. She hates having her face wiped after she eats though. She loves her outdoor swing. Gpa and Gma have one at their house too and that is my Dad's favorite thing to do with her. She is such a happy baby. She is also spoiled rotten. I said it, she is rotten but I am ok with it:) I'm going to sleep. The club specials I drank last night (& wine) were not as special this morning. Active Approach Chiropractichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12370989941118933537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5786751257166184054.post-33840694342021754542013-07-23T19:53:00.002-07:002013-07-23T19:53:39.495-07:00I am a MOM!It has been 5 1/2 months since we were blessed with our our little peanut, Kayman Alana Kilian. I always think, I should really be documenting this journey and yet I never sit down to do it. Clearly, since my last post was over 2 years ago I am not good with being consistent so here is to a new start. Don't get your hopes up. No one could have ever prepared my heart for the love I would have for our sweet girl. I am loving every minute of it...minus a few (more than a few) sleepless nights:) What can I say, she loves the boob. Period. She would be attached all hours of the day if she could be. She is now at this point where she will nurse, pull away and give me the biggest smile and then attach again without losing eye contact. I am definitely getting manipulated. She has also started doing this fake cry when I walk in the room and she sees me. She can be perfectly happy with whoever has her but the second she spots me the act is on.
A few of the things she is doing now:
She is sitting up by herself. She sat up in her bath tub tonight for the first time.
She loves cuddling with us.
She loves watching Avery's every move and Ave has been so protective of her.
She is scooting backward when she is doing tummy time.
She loves her saucer. One of the toys on it plays a song that says, "Red, Yellow and Blue" Alan will sing "Red, Yellow and Orange and Black." That is fine because when she plays with one of her chew toys with all of the different colors on it, we go over all of the colors and when we get to blue, we say "pretty" and when we get to orange we say "ugly." Mature parents we are:)
Some days she likes going on walks and some days she lets you know strapping her in the stroller was not your best idea of the day.
Knock on wood, she has started getting in her carseat with no issues. BIG ACCOMPLISHMENT!
She loves the water.
She has found her voice. She will be sitting there and just scream and loves seeing herself in the mirror. It's especially cute when she does a happy scream at 4am:)
She chews on everything. Teeth soon???
I am sure I could keep going on and on but I am instead going to bed before someone wakes me up for her first feeding of the night. Active Approach Chiropractichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12370989941118933537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5786751257166184054.post-48804266030295523382011-03-26T15:23:00.000-07:002011-03-26T16:45:54.358-07:00A Little bit of this, a little bit of thatThe title of this post really sums it up because so much has happened since the last post. Let's start with our couples shower. First, I need to recognize the hosts/hostesses: Justin and Heather Huskey, Caron Dillard and Larry Davis, Brenner and Brooke Farr, and Lina and Jerrod Cravatto. These 8 really went above and beyond to give us an amazing first shower! They reserved the back room at Yokozuna. We had appetizers, cupcakes (my weakness) and drinks (another weakness.) So many of our friends and family made it and we had a wonderful time so a HUGE thank you to everyone who made that night so special.<br />Next up, the Medford shower. From the day this was planned, Alan was not too thrilled about having to attend. Obviously nothing personal but not too many guys are jumping with joy to go to an all womens shower. He went. And he liked it:) I literally am speechless about how generous everyone was to us. We are truly grateful to all of the hostesses, those that attended and those who thought of us. We really are blessed! I am so lucky to be marrying someone with such a great family. Everyone has been so welcoming to me and my family and we are very thankful for that!<br />On we go, the bachelorette party, and a party it was!! We headed to KC for a weekend of girl time and basketball. Let me preface the planning of this party. When Carrie and I had originally discussed the dates we agreed on the weekend of March 18. Well it totally skipped my mind that KU could potentially be in Tulsa that same weekend playing at the BOK center. Low and behold we moved it up a weekend for the Big 12 tournament in KC. All of the plans, and I mean ALL of the plans were scheduled around if and when KU would play. Did I mention KU won the Big 12 conference 7 years in a row?? I didn't?? Well we did:) So the Thursday before we leave, we play at 11 v. OSU aka my fiance's alma mater. All we kept saying (the girls) is KU better win or they are really going to screw up our plans. We won, by 1. Or rather, we survived by 1. It was not pretty. Alan did not call me until about 30 minutes post game and I didn't call him either. Quite honestly my hands were shaking so bad I couldn't dial. Friday our road trip starts. 2 cars. 7 girls.(Me, Carrie, Heather, Morgan, Allison, Licia and Brandie.) Talala,OK. Speed limit 45mph. Me 56 mph. Carrie glued to my ass at 56 mph. Double pull over. 2 tickets. (will show cleavage next time:)) I'm used to being pulled over. "I never break the rules" Carrie, NEVER been pulled over. She literally got her first speeding ticket ever. I bet she was about to poo herself. I smile thinking about it:) And we are off again...we go straight to the sports bar to watch the KU v. CU game. Shannon met us since she lives in the KC area. We win. We end up having a great time just talking and playing "I have never...". We walk back to our hotel after stopping at a second bar for a quick drink. That's when the drama started with random hotel guests. All I will say is "Prove It!" :) Saturday we got up, shopped, Leslie drove in and met us, lingerie party (thank you girls) and off we went decked out in blue to watch KU v. TX where MK met us. I had been hoping for this rematch since we lost in the regular season. Great outcome! Back to the hotel to change, off to Kona for dinner, a wine bar next and then O'Dowd's for dance party USA. In all actuality, I wouldn't consider any movements I might have made that night to resemble any dance move you have ever seen. Regardless of my lack of rhythm, we had a BLAST!!! So to the girls that made my last weekend as a "single woman" one of the best weekends ever, THANK YOU!!!! I literally could not have asked for a better weekend! You never know what you get when you mesh 10 girls from all over for a weekend, but in this case everyone meshed perfectly! As Heather said on the way home, "Can you get married again so we can do this again?" Haha:)<br />Lastly as I'm getting sick of typing, March Madness is here! It literally was here last weekend when my beloved Jayhawks came rolling into T-town. I just loved seeing so much crimson and BLUE roaming the streets. Alan and I went to the game on Friday night v. Boston University with our good friend Rich who gave us 2 tickets. My whole family actually went to the game as well. Before, we went to the KU pep rally which I always consider a good time. Sunday, same old story. We went to the pep rally and then back to BOK to watch KU v. Illinois. We advanced!!! Wahoo! Next up was the Sweet 16 v. Richmond. We pretty much controlled that game from the start. Elite 8 here we come!!! Next up is VCU tomorrow at 1:20. I might be counting down the hours. A lot is riding on this game. One is a win will move us on to the Final 4 which is awesome. Two is, we have already booked out flight to Houston next weekend and bought our tickets to the games. Granted we can get flight credit and sell the tickets and probably make a good chunk of change on them, but I don't want to lose!!! So as it stands...IF we win tomorrow, Morgan and I will fly out EARLY next Sat. for Houton, while our boys are in KC celebrating Alan's last weekend as a "single man." However, if he acts "single" at all that weekend, he might have a problem on his hands! Hehe Morgan and I would have our own fun parading Houston and going to the games. I need to stop before I get ahead of myself. First thing is first, BEAT VCU! Please!! I know it is no secret that KU is an obsession, but I am going to give a shout out to my wonderful man for putting up with this crazy side of me. When we first started dating which was April 2009, it was obvious we had something special, but my own Mom basically says, "let's see if he can handle her through football and basketball season...if he can handle that..." You get the point. I almost feel like my Mom was thinking I would run him off with my enthusiasm for sports:) I know his heart is with OSU, but he never hesitates to throw on a KU hat or shirt to support my team or sit by me at a game where there is a good chance I stand up and clap more than that damn Pelosi does during one of Obama's speeches. So thank you Alan for putting up with me!Active Approach Chiropractichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12370989941118933537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5786751257166184054.post-37256075297491119512011-02-13T13:50:00.000-08:002011-02-13T14:20:36.703-08:00I SUCK at bloggingI really do. I would rather read other's blogs. I really want to be good at this but it really is not natural for me. Right now I'm lounging on the couch fighting a virus of some sort...blah. Alan and I went out on Friday night with 2 couples, Morgan and Jeff and Licia and Pauly. I woke up Saturday feeling awful, and not the awful feeling I am used to waking up to on a Saturday morning...although that may have been part of the headache but I don't think a hangover can cause a fever?? I spent the entire day in bed or on the couch and I'm still on the couch. After 2 weeks of snow and ice, I was looking forward to getting out of the house to enjoy the nice weather, but scratch that. Instead I have been stalking FB pages and blogs, as if I hadn't done enough of that on the snow days. I sincerely want to thank all of my fb 'friends' who feel the need to air ALL of their dirty laundry. It truly is entertaining. On to the next topic...the wedding...go figure:) We are a little over 3 months away. I was supposed to pick up my dress yesterday. Maybe next week. Our office is starting to get bombarded by wedding stuff. The challenge is realizing ALL of that stuff will be traveling with us. It looks like we will have around 60 people traveling with us. WOW! That is a great group and we are so looking forward to everyone celebrating with us! We are also looking forward to some warm and sunny weather!! Us Oklahoma folk have seen quite a bit of snow as of late. No, we don't hold a candle to states that really get snow, but we also don't know how to handle snow when we get it. People panic and the place shuts down. Not good for business...or is it?? Keep shoveling people and don't watch our for those slick spots:) Totally kidding...kinda:) Well, Alan just got home with Ave. She has been at the groomer today. I'm going to go tell her how pretty she looks and smells, because that is what good moms do.Active Approach Chiropractichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12370989941118933537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5786751257166184054.post-32597301211169980902010-12-05T11:18:00.000-08:002010-12-05T11:35:35.429-08:00Say 'Yes' to the dress!!!It's official, my wedding dress and reception dress were purchased on Friday!!!! A couple of months ago my Mom and I headed over to OKC to JJ Kelly to look at dresses. I found one I loved, but I could not commit because that would have been too easy. So I continued to shop around. I looked in KC, one place in NYC and around Tulsa. I found a couple I liked in Tulsa but not the way they were, so a lot of alterations would have to take place to make it the dress of my dreams. In my mind, I kept going back to this dress in OKC. So, last Friday my Mom, Heather and I drove to OKC to try it on one more time. Deana, my future MIL, met us there. I tried it on and needless to say...it is the one! Ironic enough, it is the very first dress I tried on! I love it and I can't wait to wear it for our wedding. Since we are getting married in the morning, I am planning on wearing a second dress for the reception and I found it that day too, so 2 more things to check off the list!<br />Since I am on the topic of wedding talk, an update on planning. Our save the dates have been delayed. We are hoping to get them out asap. We, as in not including Alan, met with the florist in Medford on Thanksgiving. He is more than willing to take a backseat when it comes to flowers, colors, really anything that involves details:) Her name is Margie and she will be making our bouquets. I can't wait to see what she puts together for us. Bridesmaids dresses have been picked and Heather got her dress on Friday. I think they are going to be great and easy to travel with. I love the color too. As much as I am a planner, we are kinda at a standstill until we have an idea how many guests will be attending so we can order everything. Less than 6 months away...crazy!!!!Active Approach Chiropractichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12370989941118933537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5786751257166184054.post-30310639770483294412010-11-06T11:36:00.000-07:002010-11-06T12:27:12.843-07:00Happy 7th Birthday Avery!Yesterday was Avery's 7th birthday. Her Daddy bought her a couple of new toys and she was able to cheat on her diet. She went on a long walk and a car ride, so all in all a great day for her. Before Alan and I met, Bree told me she was moving in with him and he had a lab. I was kinda bummed because I told her I would never be able to hang out at his house since he had a dog. From the time I was 2 years old, I developed allergies to dogs, cats...you name it. I also develped asthma. Growing up, I was always the kid that had to leave slumber parties, friend's houses, etc if the owners had animals because my asthma would flare up, eyes would swell, and I would be on my breathing treatments in no time. I have always been hypersensitive to labs in particular. Although I am fortunate as things could always be or have been worse than that health problem, it was definitely not fun and there were many scary times. I have always said this health issue keeps me from having a zoo since I LOVE animals. So back to my point, since I have never been able to be in a home with animals, I prepared myself for short visits to hang out with Bree. I knew she wanted me to meet Alan, but in the back of my mind I was thinking it could never work because he had a dog and I can't be around an inside dog. I know that sounds weird but it is always something I had to consider. At the time, Alan was traveling a lot for work, so I would go over and hang out with Bree. I was noticing that my breathing was doing pretty well, crossing my fingers. So I started hanging out there more and more, (especially since Alan was starting to crush on me at this point:)) and my asthma was in control. I remember calling my Mom saying how crazy it was I could be around this dog. Low and behold, a year and a half later I have a four legged shadow that I can't imagine not having. I can't begin to explain how much I adore this dog...and I know it is mutual! Alan has moments of jealousy since she was his baby for years before I came in the picture;) She is my cuddle bunny, boo bear, baby girl, and the list goes on! Do I think it was fate? Absolutely! I am still allergic to animals and I can still only be in houses with animals for a short amount of time, so when we leave because I can't breathe, I'm not lying! I can't explain it but I'm thankful.Active Approach Chiropractichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12370989941118933537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5786751257166184054.post-49327855255306190952010-10-03T20:03:00.000-07:002010-10-03T20:38:48.734-07:00And the destination is....Turks and Caicos!!!! We are so excited to finally have a destination picked and can't wait to start all of the planning. Alan and I had our engagement pics taken last Friday. One of our locations for pics was no place other than the Tulsa State Fair! Some might say our pick is a little WT, but I like to think of it as creative and really just downright awesome. What can I say...I LOVE the fair! I love everything about it. Alan was such a trooper walking around taking pics while people were staring. We paid $10 to park and $30 to get the three of us in the gate. That would be $40 and we didn't even get a corndog! If you do the fair right, you can drop some serious cash. We also went to Woodward Park for some pics. Heather met us there with Alan's Mom, Deana, and Hadlea. She took a few pics as well, so a big thank you to her. Later that evening, the five of us went to Hideaway to have dinner for Deana's bday. Happy bday Deana! Saturday, a couple of my girlfriends, Carrie and Morgan, went to Leon's to watch the KU game. Remember when I said we are somewhere in between being awful or really good? I was wrong, we are without a doubt awful!!! We looked like a bunch of a$$ clowns running around the field. Baylor scored so quickly on us back to back I had a hard time knowing if it was a replay or another TD. When does bball start?! Actually, I'm not a fair weather fan and I will continue to watch every week holding out hope that we might have a few more 'W's' left in us...particularly v. KSU, MU and OSU! I'm not asking for much:) Last weekend, I was in NYC for Bridget's bach. party. We had a BLAST! It took me a couple of days to get back to normal after that weekend. I'll leave it at that:) Last night, Alan and I went on a date to Ciao. Today, we slept in, went to the late service at church and then Hooters for lunch. Please don't judge, they make a killer grilled cheese. We have been doing chores and organizing most of the day. Alan informed me that if I'm ever pregnant and go through the "nesting" phase, he is moving out...can't say I would blame him. Now, my girl and I are cuddled up on the couch getting ready to go to bed. Gnite!Active Approach Chiropractichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12370989941118933537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5786751257166184054.post-47813459342920909682010-09-13T19:55:00.000-07:002010-09-16T10:27:45.209-07:00Bridget's Shower and Wedding PlanningLast Friday, I drove to KC for my friend Bridget's bridal shower. I was rushing to get there so I could see her for her final fitting of the dress, which I barely made in time...go figure. That evening we got ready and went to eat at Manny's, which is a Mexican restaurant in downtown KC. It has been around for 30 years, yet I lived in KC during chiropractic school and never had heard of it. Regardless, it was really good. We then went to the power and light district. One drink in and Bridget and I are ready to head back to the hotel. This is the same Bridget, where 2 years ago we met for a weekend of fun and couldn't remember our hotel room number:) Oh how I wish I would have gotten that on camera, trying our key in all the rooms we thought might be our's!:) We woke up Saturday and headed to her first bridal shower. It was a great time. She received a ton of great gifts. There was one that stood out the most, a KU apron! Lucky girl! It started at 10:30am. Well guess what started at 11?? You guessed it, the KU v. Georgia Tech game. So needless to say I had to check the score. I also kept Bridget and Mary Kate up to speed as we all graduated from KU. Keep in mind, I was not expecting much from my team that dropped the ball against North Dakota State the week before...yes, there is a North Dakota State and even crazier, they have a football team. How many points did we score on week one? 3. Three. Tres. And that is not touchdowns, that is total points. Final score: KU 3 NDSU 6. Since the game was not televised, the optimistic me was thinking, damn our defense must be unbelievable... and so was their's. Then I remembered, we haven't won a football game since last Oct. 9 2009! Well week 2 was a different story, we beat the #15 team in the country!!! I can't belive it either. I'm now thinking we had 2 fluke games in a row and we are somewhere in the middle of being terrible or really freaking good. If you know me, you know the attachment I have to KU. Some might call it an obsession. I truly feel a connection with the players and when they graduate, it takes me a little time to get acclimated with the new players. Last year, we lost one of my all time favs, Todd Reesing, or "my little sparky" as I like to call him. It's ok...Alan is totally accepting of this pet name:) Did I mention I LOVE football season? And don't get me started on basketball. Alan is a huge OSU fan, so he went to the game this past weekend. All will be good until KU and OSU meet up on November 20. OSU did win their game as well, but not without a little excitement. Last night we went to dinner and were talking sports. He is like, "yeah, all you KU fans are getting your hopes up because you had a big win." I then said, "well, yeah but OSU is the only school I know that lines up in the victory formation and fumbles:)" November 20, 2010, mark it down on the calendar! A true house divided! <br /><br />Wedding planning is going. We are patiently waiting for confirmation that the site we have chosen will be reserved for us...fingers crossed. I will let you know as soon as we know. Then the real planning can start and we are super excited. Finding a resort has been a task. First, we used Destinationweddings.com. FLOP. (Alan's idea btw, hehe.) Now we are using Gina Ho, who was Alan's cousins, Justin and Shelly, recommendation. She has a lot of experience planning destination weddings. She actually told me that she has NEVER had this much trouble with finding a resort that is available on the day we want. I guess we picked a popular weekend. Either way, we are confindent it will all work out the way it should. My Mom keeps reminding me, "Things happen for a reason." That doesn't mean I can't throw a fit along the way though:)<br />Another task is the guest list. Here lies the problem, we know a lot of people and we have a lot of people that we are close to, but it is not feasible to invite everyone to a destination wedding. We are planning on having a reception when we return, but it is still difficult. Last Sunday, Alan and I were going over the invite list once again...and we came across my Aunt's name. I started crying then, as I am now as I type. He asked me if I wanted to take her name off the list. As crazy as it sounds, I told him no. It's so hard because I know that she and my cousin would have been the only 2 that would come to the wedding from my Mom's side. My Mom said she has her "moments" and I guess I do too. I know we probably all will for awhile. While I'm on the subject of her, I thought of something I left out in a previous post. Back in 2004, when we lost my 2 uncles and Grandpa, (Mom's side)I was able to write poems for the funerals. It's something my Dad and I do, write poems. I have also written for my Grandma (Dad's side) and Grandpa (Dad's side.) The words and thoughts came so easily. For some reason, I was unable to write after Aunt 'Net passed. I still don't know why. It was frustrating. I tried on a couple occasions the week of her funeral and I had "writer's block." I think I have used this blog as a way to "write" as a tribute to her and express my feelings. Several weeks before she passed, my Mom, Tara, Aunt and I were all sitting on my Aunt's bed and telling stories. We laughed so much, so much so that my aunt said to stop making her laugh because it would make her stomach hurt. Great memory:) Miss her dearly.Active Approach Chiropractichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12370989941118933537noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5786751257166184054.post-35861865729140236372010-09-04T20:58:00.000-07:002010-09-04T21:25:35.301-07:00More Catching upSomething I didn't emphasize enough in that last post is how wonderful Alan was throughout all of this, especially when another crisis happened during the last month. I will explain in this post. I honestly don't know what I would have done without his support. He was there any time I needed him. He knew when to say the right things or when to just let silence take over. I am so thankful for him and the support he shows me day in and day out. I am one blessed girl to be marrying this man and also into this family. His Mom and Sister came to the funeral, which was so thoughtful and greatly appreciated, espcically after what all they were dealing with. We received cards from other family members, also greatly appreciated, so a sincer thank you to all of you. <br />A few weeks ago on a Monday, Alan had gone to Medford for the day and then drove to Wichita for his monthly work trip. I got a call from him that night saying Jake, his brother, was pitching in a softball game and took a line drive to the face. All we knew was he had a broken nose. We soon found out it was much more serious than a broken nose and we both were on our way to OKC to the OU Medical Trauma Center. Basically, the ambulance had taken him to the Edmond hospital. Due to the nature of his injuries, they were preparing to transport him to OU med, but in the process he began having a seizure and his breathing stopped. Needless to say, they had to intubate him. Once he was stabalized, he was transported. He was in the ICU for the next 4 days. This was a scary time for everyone as we did not know how severe the brain damage was since they had medically induced a coma. He did have a broken nose, actually more of a crushed nose, plus he also had fractured his skull in 2 places, a fractured orbital bone on the left and a subdural hematoma. He would require a major facial reconstructive surgery, which was performed 8 days after the injury. He was in surgery for 7 hours. He was in the hospital another week after the surgery. As of now, he is on the road to recovery but he is still having some vision problems. We hope it will correct itself, but only time will tell. He gets his nose tubes out next week. His family was amazing throughout this time as it was scary with a lot of unknowns. We were all worried about him but are so thankful that he has come as far as he has. Jake has been so strong throughout all of this. We look forward to the day he is healed and all of the prayers have been answered. We love you Jake!Active Approach Chiropractichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12370989941118933537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5786751257166184054.post-47958956215890732010-09-04T18:52:00.000-07:002010-09-04T20:58:34.509-07:00Catching upWell, Alan was right...I'm not the blogging type. But after a "rough" last couple of months, I am at it again. Where do I start?... June 21 was the day Alan and I were going to start the wedding planning as it was a month after the proposal. Our "Destination Weddings for Dummies" book was on its way and we were ready. I was at work on June 22 when I got a call from my Mom sounding frantic. She asked me if an ultrasound showed "spots" on the liver, does it always mean it is cancer? My Aunt Net was in the ER with severe pain and they found spots on her liver. For those who don't know, Janette, is my Mom's older sister. Well, later that day we received the news we were all dreading. It was cancer. From what they could tell it was definitely in her liver and had destroyed her 4th rib. I remember walking into her hospital room and as I was giving her a hug, all she could say was "bummer." Devastating news to say the least. She spent a few days in the hospital undergoing a series of tests to determine where it started. She was released with the diagnosis of Stage IV Adenocarcinoma with an unknown origin. For those that don't know, cancer is staged and there are only 4 stages, so we knew there was a huge battle ahead and we were ready to start the fight with her. On June 30, she started treatment at Cancer Treatment Centers of America. Since they did not know where the cancer started, they had to run their tests to see if they could figure out the origin. Fast forward a month and we still don't know, but regardless they are going to start radiation as a tumor had grown on her spine. She had 3 radiation treatments. I am leaving out a lot of details, but what was decided was she would take a natural approach to treatment from there on out, as it was not believed her body could withstand the conventional chemotherapy. While all of these tests were being run, she was declining and fast. August 24, 2010, my Aunt 'Net earned her angel wings. As I type this, a part of me is still in denial. Since her death, I have tried focusing on anything but as to not have to face the reality of it. There were so many nights that I cried myself to sleep with Alan holding me as my heart ached for what she was having to go through. I cried so much that it's like I became somewhat numb after she passed. The last 6 days of her life were very trying. I spent as much time with her as I could. We all did. Her daughter, Tara, did not leave her side. There were sleepless nights, but I learned that it was the mental exhaustion that was the hardest. Nothing compares to what she was going through. During these last 6 days, I talked to her a lot. She would ask if everything was going to be OK? I kept assuring her it was. One of those nights, I was sitting by her bedside holding her hand while my Mom was getting ready for bed and Tara and Darlene (her best friend) were outside. I was trying to ease her mind as nights were the hardest on her. I asked her if she could keep a secret and of course she said yes. I'm honestly not sure if she did or not as she almost ruined the surprise for my Mom's 60th bday:) I'm not going to reveal what I told her (yet) but I am glad she knew before she passed. My aunt was one of my first patients at my office. She helped grow my business more than she knows. I thanked her and I'm so glad I did. She asked for an adjustment 2 days before her passing. The cancer was in her bones, so I put my fingers on her neck when she was sitting up and held them there for a few seconds to give her one last adjustment. She said, "did you hear all those pops?:) I didn't but the "pops" always fascinated her:) There were many intimate moments that we all shared with her as her body was failing, some too personal to share. She suffered. A lot. And it breaks my heart she had to go through it. It also makes me mad. From the day of her diagnosis, I prayed for peace and comfort for her. My prayers were ultimately answered when God took her. As much as I wanted her to prove medicine wrong and beat the odds, I knew it was going to take a miracle from God to overcome this disease. There are a lot of things in life that are not fair, and cancer is way up on that list. If you have never seen a loved one go through a fight against cancer, I pray you never have to as you would not wish it upon your worst enemy. I am so proud of the fight she put up as she showed such strength and courage throughout the entire process. So to you Aunt Net, I miss you, more than words can say. I have so many memories that I will forever cherish. You taught Josh and I when we were kids how to say "butt" in Creek when you stayed with us while my parents were in Vegas...we thought it was so cool:) I will miss your deviled eggs. Your's were the best and you didn't disagree!:) Your gravy wasn't bad either! Christmas is going to be particularly hard. Thank you for loving Alan, or "Peyton Manning" as you liked to call him...he loved you too. I wish you could see us get married. Thank you for loving Baby Jay. As you know, she is not a fan of many people but she loved when you came over and she loved visiting you. I guess she liked your stomp dancing:) Thank you for being such a good sister to my Mom and Ralph. I know their hearts ache without the 3of you still here. I admire your love for our Indian heritage. You were such a beautiful person, inside and out. I would have done anything to have fixed you and taken away your pain. We all would have. You were nothing short of amazing as you fought this disease. At your burial, Pastor Jimmie said in the Creek language, there is not a word for goodbye, just a phrase for "until we meet again,"...so until we meet again Aunt Net. I love you.Active Approach Chiropractichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12370989941118933537noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5786751257166184054.post-67493038137366685832010-06-09T15:02:00.000-07:002010-06-09T15:41:19.577-07:00My future SIL called me out on her blog so here is post #3!So I innocently read Heather's (my future SIL) blog today, as I often do, and am pleasantly surprised to see she has announced my decision to blog to her blogging people!!:) I was also suprised to see I have 3 followers...now that pumps me up!:) Looks like I better get to typing!! So we have been engaged for 19 days (who's counting?) and I am really starting to have the wedding planning itch. We had decided before we got engaged that we would wait a month before we do any official planning. I am taking that as we are not going to write anything down for a month, but that does not mean I don't have the wheels turning upstairs. No date has been set, but we have thrown out a few dates. To clarify, we will not get married during football or basketball season, which for some teams can run into April (GO KU!) I have high hopes my Jayhawks will take it all every year...we will get into my KU obsession on a later post. We also are set on a destination wedding. My Dad has always hinted a destination would be his preference, but I have always countered and said he is not getting off the hook that easy:) When A and I started talking marriage, he made mention a destination would be his choice but if I wanted the BIG Tulsa wedding, he would support that. In my head, I thought I wanted a Tulsa wedding, reception at The Mayo, etc...especially since I "live" there. I mean, how convenient would that be? BUT, a few weeks ago we went to a wedding at the Mayo with about 350 people in attendance and my mind was quickly changed. Alan and my Dad +1. Just a side note, some close friends of mine got married last year and my parents and I went. It was a beautiful wedding/reception with the whole sha-bang. We are all sitting at the table eating, drinking and being merry, with the exception of my Dad. He looks like he is in deep thought and is really quiet. Finally someone asked him what was wrong and he said, "well I'm sitting here thinking that if you have this many people at a table and it costs this much per plate, just how damn expensive one of these things costs!" If you know my Dad, you can appreciate his concern:) So enough about wedding stuff for now. I'm sure there will be much more to come.<br />6 months ago today, Hadlea Easton Huskey was born! I can't believe it has already been 6 months! For those that don't know, Hadlea is Heather and Justin's baby girl, and our niece. I am already 'Aunt Amanda' and I LOVE it. Whenever I learn how to post pics, you can bet she will be featured. She is such a beautiful and sweet baby. I just love to hold her and hear her laugh. Alan and I adore her and can't wait to spoil her rotten! We already have a little frog pool waiting on her to break it in (hint hint). Tonight we are going over to their house to celebrate her 6 month bday and eat cake! Happy 6 month birthday sweet girl! We love you!Active Approach Chiropractichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12370989941118933537noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5786751257166184054.post-43687994715783622972010-05-24T19:26:00.000-07:002010-05-24T20:24:13.472-07:00Engagement continuedMany times when I tell a story, I will say, "to make a long story short." Well the problem with that is it usually ends up being a long story every time, or so Alan says. I guess I'm a sucker for details. Regardless, anytime I hear someone say they got engaged, it's like human instinct, or at least for females, to ask "how did he propose?" (Guys could give a crap how he did it.) So, since this whole engagment, I have been asked a lot, which I wouldn't change for the world:), so I am going to give the details...and lots of them!:)<br /><br />If you want the short version, he asked and I said yes and we are really happy. You are now free to stop reading the rest of this post...and maybe the next if I can't figure out how to work this site. Did I mention I SUCK at computers?! I can't wait for my future SIL, Heather, to help me, hint hint:) She is queen blogger!<br /><br />Onto the long version...I am going to preface by saying that Alan and I often talk about business and he does such a great job with motivating, helping, etc. to grow my business. Last week in particular he and I discussed work related issues a lot, so when I told him I would most likely be late on Thursday the 20th, because I had a work dinner, and recommended he make plans without me, that included not planning on proposing on Thursday the 20th. Next time I will be more specific:) <br /><br />So here I am at a dinner and when all was finished I was talked into going to have "A" beer before I went home. I called Alan and told him I would be home later because I was going to have "A" beer. He said that was fine but when I got home he wanted me to have a glass of wine with him. I was kinda like whatever, since that is not a regular occurence with us on school nights. Well my 1 beer ends up taking awhile to drink. Ring, ring...Alan is not a happy camper, which makes me not a happy camper with him. I might have told him to get off my ass. I can't remember. Either way, he is acting totally out of character, which really through me off, especially since we had talked so much "business" the day before and I was doing something business related. He mentioned he and Ave (The dog for those who don't know...she will get a post in the near future) had picked up a little something for me when they were running errands that night. <br /><br />I eventually head home and he has now made some apologies. I head straight to the back...the hell with him:) (We are fighting people!!:)) He is on the couch. He comes back and apologizes again. Apology or not, I decide I am going to pout for a bit, so off to bed I go until I have a Hallmark card hit my head and hear him say in the pitch black, "Here is the card Ave and I got you tonight" and then he peaced out. I pull out the ol' handy light on the iphone and read it. It was so sweet, but very "futuristic" in terms and I'm thinking that it's really nice but we aren't engaged, but still didn't catch on because we have talked "future" for a long time. I thank him for it (sincerely) and I focus on going to sleep. Problem is Alan keeps asking "Are you mad at me?" every time I am dozing off!!! I'm thinking to myself, I wasn't until you just took another 30 min. away from my sleep that was already deprived:) Next morning, technically the same, I jokingly give him a hard time again and he walks me to my car. I normally get right in, but instead I decide to grab a water from the back garge, where I see and mock the proposal scene. Empty bottle of wine, 1 used, 1 unused wine glass under the newly built purgola. I'm such a B:) Still no clue. I go to work as normal, come home early, lay out, we hang out with a friend from oot for a bit before he leaves. We have 2 hours before we have to be at a party so I mention I am going to take a nap. Alan instead wants me to come sit with him outside. Ummm, why don't you take a nap with me??? Remember, I am sleep deprived. We go back and forth until I cave...poor guy:( I sit (still no clue) and he takes Ave in the garage and when they came out he told me to look at Ave's new collar. She comes trotting out and drops the box. I wish I could remember more details even though I know you are glad I don't at this point! He had a hello-kitty ring in the box and pulled the real one out of his pocket. The rest is kinda a blur and I started shaking, but it was PERFECT and I wouldn't change one thing!! Well, I take that back...I had not showered all day and was really gross from laying out, hence the pics. And that is the "proposal story!"Active Approach Chiropractichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12370989941118933537noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5786751257166184054.post-55188902909159676292010-05-24T19:10:00.000-07:002010-05-24T19:24:35.772-07:00Engagement 5/21/10Since this is my first blog post I need throw a couple of things out there first:
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<br />1. Why did I name it "Keeping up with the soon-to-be Kilians?" Because I can
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<br />2. Why am I blogging? I'm really not sure. Actually, since we got engaged I have gone through a range of emotions (all good:)) and I want to remember how exciting this time is for us. Recently (pre-engagement) I mentioned to Alan that I wanted to start a blog. He basically laughed at me and said that I am not the blogging type. It's like he knew that as a child I found purchasing the actual diary (with the keys of course) was a lot cooler than actually writing in the diary. To this day, you will find about 4 diaries in my nightstand at my parent's house all purchased with good intention until you open and see the content was lacking and rather it was more a phase that ended soon after it began. The entries basically went something like, "Today was a good day. My parents did not take a shower. (actual quote) I had asthma today." I tell this because I make no promises this is going to be something I "do" on a regular basis. Not that anyone really cares.Active Approach Chiropractichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12370989941118933537noreply@blogger.com0