The things they fail to mention....

As many of you may know, I am a type A personality. I plan EVERYTHING! So when it came to pregnancy, child birth, and breastfeeding... you can bet your bottom dollar that I attacked it with the same ferocity as my drug information queries.

I read several books about natural child-birthing (as this was the plan) along with a great book on breastfeeding. I took classes about baby care, birth, and breast feeding. Going into our induction, I felt as prepared as possible for this little creature that would change our life.

BOY WAS I WRONG!

After I have had time to adjust and reflect, I have identified a few key points that all the books and classes fail to mention:

1. No matter how much preparation you have/do, having a new baby comes with a STEEP learning curve! Don't be so hard on yourself if you don't have all the answers. It takes time to learn what this new little blessing requires and how to provide it.

2. Breastfeeding is the best option, but it is HARD. No wonder they tell you that the first two weeks are the hardest. For us it was the first month! Luckily, I had extreme motivation to continue so I pushed through the pain and frustration. We now have a healthy boy that loves to eat!

3. Breastfeeding does not come as natural to all as we may think. I certainly thought that since my body was designed by God to be able to provide this that it couldn't be hard. I also thought if hundreds of thousands of women before me have breastfed with success then so could I. Unfortunately, we struggled with latch issues for weeks (despite help from a lactation consultant).

4. Breastfeeding will hurt, but in the long run it will be the most magical thing ever. My answer to this is to either get a prescription for APNO (All Purpose Nipple Ointment) from your OB/GYN or use the internet to find the "homemade APNO" recipe. This ointment saved our breastfeeding! I mixed up the homemade version early one Sunday morning after a day of excruciating pain and lots of tears. BEST STUFF EVER!

5. If you choose to breastfeed, your breasts will leak... Be prepared and have breast pads on hand to start. Wear them at all times to avoid embarrassing leaks. Some women are lucky and never have this problem. I was not one of the lucky ones and  learned to buy nursing pads in bulk.

6. Your body will change after childbirth and it will never be the same again. If you have a vaginal birth, be prepared for leakages of all sorts. Yes. This can be gross and certainly embarrassing. I had no idea. Needless to say, I wished someone had shared this particular tid bit of information. It does get better as things heal but not right away.

7. You will never look at your husband the same way again. He goes from being this wonderful, loving, sexy man you married to a wonderful, loving, sexy father. I never knew how much I truly loved Jim until I saw how much he loves Lucas. Our relationship is at a whole new level and it is amazing.

8. Despite all the things I mentioned above, the birth of your child will be the best day of your life. Despite the pain, tears, stress, and all out crazy that comes with child birth, when they place that creature into your arms... your heart grows in a way you never thought imaginable.

Regardless of any of the things I discovered, I would do it again and apply all the things I learned the hard way.

The "Birth" Story

Hello my blogging friends! It has been a long time since we have chatted. There is so much to catch you all up on so where to begin...

Let's start with my last post welcoming the new year. I mentioned being put on bed rest which continued throughout the end of my pregnancy until about a week before my due date. Unfortunately, my body decided to respond negatively by causing a rise in my blood pressure. This required a few extra trips to the OB's office and having to have my labor induced. Yuck!

I had planned all along for a natural birth. I had read several books and had my birth plan in writing. Breathing had been practice along with positive affirmations for my husband to shower me with during labor. I had purchased a "birthing ball" and did daily exercises to loosen my muscles for labor. I was semi-diligent with my kegel exercises. I had packed my hospital bag with focal points and Mozart CD's. I was ready to do this au naturale!

PSYCH! My body decided that was not happening. My OB compromised with me. She allowed me to just break my water and not start Pitocin right out of the gate. When they broke my water they discovered that Lucas had pooped in his amniotic fluid. Strike One. They were worried but allowed me to bounce on a birthing ball to get things moving. I was required to get blood pressure checks pretty regularly. After about two hours (and two centimeters), my blood pressure was dangerously high. Strike Two. I was ordered into bed where I was "encouraged" to lay on my left side.

This was the exact time that I started having active labor. My contractions came on fast and hard. My plan had been to battle through the contractions with walking or swaying.... anything but laying down. Flat on your back. Or in my case, on my left side. Because I wasn't allowed to get out of bed.... I was not handling the contractions well at all. This also caused my blood pressure to jump even higher. Strike Three. My OB was forced to give my IV blood pressure drugs which really didn't help.

My OB was concerned about Lucas at this point so made the decision that Pitocin had to be started. I knew I was not going to be able to handle the intensity of the contractions from Pitocin without an epidural. So I caved. The anesthesiologist came in and gave me his spiel about the drugs. I found out that originally he was a pharmacist before he went to med school, so I was pretty impressed. Then I found out he was an Auburn fan... I wanted a new doctor. Just kidding ;-)

Most people don't know but I have a metal rod in my lower back as a result of severe scoliosis. Unfortunately, it resides in the location where they place an epidural. The MD poked me the first time and couldn't get the epidural to go in. He was hitting the bottom of my bar. So, he had to stick me again in another area lower down my back. Luckily it worked.

The great thing about epidurals is that they make you feel nothing! And they also lower your blood pressure. Which for some women is a problem. For me, it was marvelous. Everything changed. I relaxed and was able to get some rest. They increased the Pitocin at a steady rate. My contractions were off the grid, but I FELT NOTHING! Not even a twinge or a pinch.

By 3 pm, I was ready to push. My husband was a great coach and counter. One short hour later, we welcomed our baby boy, Lucas.

My short story is nothing compared to some women... but the moral of my story is that things don't always go as planned. I had a plan, but God had a different plan. His plan taught me patience beyond measure and a unwavering faith that he would see us through. My reward was a beautiful, healthy baby boy.

Welcome 2013 and exciting new adventures!

2012 was a fantastic year, but I was happy to welcome 2013!

Highlights of 2012 include:
Switching jobs- the grass wasn't really greener but I got more time home with my husband and Champ

Traveling to Alaska to see my best friend, Lauren Coburn. Experience of a lifetime.

Discovering we were expecting our first child!

Traveling to Lake Lure for a wedding- so pretty and peaceful.

Finding out that my sister was also pregnant and due four weeks after me.
Keeping myself entertained while Jim was away at Squadron Officer School in Montgomery, AL.
Finding out we were having a son! We decided to name him, Lucas Charles.

Meeting up with my husband in Alabama for our annual Alabama football game. RTR!

Having my husband leave again for IP School in Altus, Oklahoma!

Welcoming our new nephew, Will, into the world!

Celebrating our First Anniversary!

Decorating the nursery- we chose a Monkey theme!

Attending an awesome Baby Shower hosted by family and friends in Grundy.
Celebrating the holidays at various times with our families!
Ringing in the New Year with both my three boys!

2013 looks to be a promising year filled with the new adventure of being parents! We have 30 days to go until our son is officially due to enter this world. Unfortunately, it appears my son is so much like his parents that he would rather be early than on time. This past week I was put on bed rest due to my progress and my OB being concerned that Lucas would before term (37 weeks). So, here I am, Ms. Independent having to be waited on by my loving husband. Not exactly what we had planned for our final weeks of life before parenthood. But, God has a greater plan and we will do whatever it takes to keep our baby boy safe.

Welcome 2013! We are so very ready to meet our sweet Lucas!

Stationery card

Very Merry Memories Christmas Card

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Very Merry Memories Christmas Card

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Absence makes the heart grow fonder...

I know I haven't posted anything in over a month! Not even a Tasty Tuesday. I started a new job in February and started having more time during the week and the weekends. I guess I just got caught up in having an actual life that didn't revolve around work. I actually get to be a wife and a Momma to Champkins. We have gotten so many projects done around the house and have plans for many more. I have tried many new recipes that will get our Tasty Tuesday section up and running again. My biggest news is that I have booked a trip to Alaska to see one of my very best friends, Lauren Coburn! My next biggest news is that my sister-in-law is pregnant! Hooray! Jim and I are super excited to have a Lambertsen/Hudgins niece or nephew. 2012 is shaping up to be an excellent year :-)

Tasty Tuesday

Happy almost end of February! I am posting this Tasty Tuesday officially on Leap Day! Hooray for the arrival of March (which happens to be my favorite month)! I love to cook! But, I also get bored with food very easily, so I  have been doing a lot of researching for new ways to prepare the same staples. This week I discovered a new way to cook pork chops.

Dijon Grilled Pork Chops


Ingredients:
6 tablespoons of Dijon mustard
6 tablespoons of brown sugar
3 tablespoons of unsweetened apple juice
3 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
4 (8 ounce) bone-in pork chops (I used boneless pork chops that were a thinner slice)

Directions:
1. In a bowl, combine the first four ingredients; mix well. Pour 2/3 cup of the marinade into a large resealable plastic bag; add the pork chops. Save the remainder of the marinade for basting (be sure to refrigerate).
2. Seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. (I only marinated my thinner pork chops for a few hours and they were great!)
3. Drain the marinade from the pork. Grill, covered, over medium heat for 6-10 minutes on each side. Baste each side occasionally with reserved marinade.

These pork chops were A-MA-ZING! They are tangy but sweet. I served them with sweet carrots and sauteed spinach. It was overall winning meal. This marinade would work great for any cut of pork chop or a pork tenderloin. Very easy to make. Jim gave it two thumbs up!

Tasty Tuesday- Feb 22nd

Again, I must apologize my dear friends, I forgot to post a "Tasty Tuesday" last week. So this week you get two posts! During the winter months, I love a good bowl of soup. Although we haven't had much of a winter this year, I still crave a good bowl of soup from time to time. What better way to achieve this than to make your own soup. I recently discovered a recipe for chicken noodle soup with a twist. It is scrumptious. I am on my second pot and take it almost daily for lunch.

Italian Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon of olive oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1/2 lb), cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 carton of chicken broth (4 cups)
2 cups water
3 medium carrots, sliced (1 1/2 cups)
2 cups broccoli florets
1 1/2 cups uncooked medium egg noodles
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon garlic-pepper
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions:
 1. In a 4-quart saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add chicken. Cook 4 to 6 minutes, stirring       occasionally, until no longer pink in center.
2. Stir in onion. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion is tender.
3. Stir in broth, water, and carrots. Heat to boiling. Cook 5 minutes over medium heat.
4. Stir in broccoli, noodles, basil and garlic-pepper blend. Heat to boiling; reduce heat.
5. Simmer uncovered 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables and noodles are tender.
6. Serve with shredded cheese on each serving.

I like my soup to have lots of noodles and lots of broth. So I doubled the chicken broth, the water, and the noodles. I also doubled the seasoning but kept the chicken and veggies at the same amount. It was great! It reheats well. I serve with fresh bread or garlic bread. Definitely a yummy way to warm up!

Tasty Tuesday- Valentine's Day Edition

Since Valentine's Day fell on a Tuesday this year, I decided to incorporate it into my Tasty Tuesday. To celebrate our first Married Valentine's Day, we decided to pick out something to cook together. After an extensive (but limited- due to my lack of culinary exploration) search, we picked Blue Cheese Crusted Filet with Port Wine Sauce and Asparagus Parmesan. It was a great experience and helped us bond as a married couple.

Blue Cheese Crusted Filet with Port Wine Sauce
Ingredients:
Port Wine Sauce
1 tablespoon of butter
1/2 cup minced white onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon of fresh thyme (I used 1/2 tbsp of dried thyme)
3/4 cup of low sodium beef broth
1/2 cup port wine

Blue Cheese crusted Filet
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 filet mignon steaks (1 1/2 inch thick)
3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs

Directions:
Port Wine Sauce:
1. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and thyme. Cook, stirring constantly, untiil onion is tender.
2. Stir in the beef broth, scraping any onion bits from the bottom of the pan, then stir in the port wine.
3. Bring to a boil, and cook until the mixture has reduced to about 1/2 cup. Set aside. This may also be made ahead of time, and reheated.

Blue Cheese Crusted Filet:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Heat oil in a cast-iron or other oven safe skillet over high heat. Sear steaks quickly on both sides until brown, then place the whole pan into the oven.
3. Roast steaks in the oven for about 15 minutes for medium rare (30 minutes for well done)- with an internal temperature of 145 degrees F. You may adjust this time to allow the steaks to finish just below your desired degree of doneness if medium is not what you prefer.
4. Remove from the oven, and place on a baking sheet.
5. Stir together the panko crumbs and blue cheese. Top each steak with a layer of this mixture.
6. Preheat the oven's broiler. Place steaks under the preheated broiler until the cheese topping is browned and bubbly. 3 to 4 minutes.
7. Remove from the oven, and let stand for at least 15 minutes before serving. Serve with the warm port wine sauce.


We only cooked two steaks, so I cooked the whole recipe for the sauce and halved the steak topping (panko and cheese). Below are some pictures of our wonderful meal. We loved this!

Tasty Tuesday

From time to time, I like a very low key meal that requires little prep and little cooking. That is when I turn to my crockpot. One of my favorite things to make is a recipe stolen (then tweaked) from a good friend in Pharmacy School, Brynnt Smith DeCheubel. Its a Tex-Mex Chili. My mother lovingly refers to it as the "clean out the bean aisle chili" which is funny because she won't eat chili- period. Jim claims that this isn't spicy enough for him so if you have a love of extreme spice then you will need to tweak.

Tex-Mex Chili

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground turkey
1 can diced tomatoes (low sodium)
1 can diced tomatoes with chilies
1 small can of corn (low sodium)
1 can black beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can northern beans
2 pkg of ranch dressing mix
1 pkg of taco seasoning (low sodium)

Directions:
1. Brown, rinse, and drain the ground turkey. Place in crockpot on low setting.
2. Add both cans of tomatoes (do not drain) to the meat in the crockpot.
3. Drain each of the beans (as best as you can) then dump into the crockpot.
4. Drain the corn and add to the crockpot.
5. Add the packages of ranch and taco seasoning. Stir well.
6. Add water to fill up the crock pot (this step can be optional if you like "hearty" chili). I like this chili with a little more water so that there is plenty of liquid to make my tortilla chips soggy.
7. Let cook for 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high setting of crock pot.

Serve with tortilla chips, cheese, and sour cream (or plain greek yogurt). I made this for my work crew several times and always got rave reviews. I highly recommend it for a group gathering.

On to Greener Pastures?

As many of you already know, I recently accepted a new job. Don't get me wrong. I love what I currently do. Taking care of all those kiddos is wonderful and rewarding. It can also be incredibly heartbreaking. I have seen some terrible, awful things that I would hope that none of you all ever have to see up close. I have also witnessed some miracles and have been amazed at modern medicine.

At the same time, my current job is ridiculously stressful. It is high paced and very demanding. It is after all an ACUTE care facility. I respond to emergencies and codes along with dealing with lots of STAT orders and demanding medical professionals. Most days after an 8 hour shift, all I desire is a nap and complete silence.

I am a Type A personality who demands perfection and unfortunately when placed in a high paced environment, I became a whole new level of uptight (this is my nice word). At the end of the day, I was very unhappy and felt like work consumed my life. That had to change. Not just for my own mental health, but for the sake of my family (current and future). 

My new job seems to be greener pastures. It is less hours per week. I will work less weekends and less holidays. The trade off is that I will have a smaller salary, but money can't buy happiness or time together as a family. The work will also be very different from what I do now- a lot less order entry and a lot more check pill boxes for nursing home patients. It the opposite end of the spectrum as far as my patient area is concerned- pediatrics to geriatrics. But, I also feel like it will be a new challenge and will force me to bring out information that has long been filed away.

I could very well end up hating my new job because it isn't enough of a challenge. But, I don't believe this. I believe that God sends us what we need when we need it. This job came along after months and months of praying that God help me figure out what was best for my family and for myself. God doesn't make mistakes. Therefore, I believe this job is a blessing that will allow me to pursue the other goals I have in my life aka becoming a mom.

Jim and I are so ready to start a family. We will be doing this soon (but no we are not currently pregnant). I am sure once I am pregnant then this low key job will be just what I need. So despite all the comments that some people have made that I will be "bored out of my mind", I am so ready to be bored for a little while.

So here is to new beginnings and greener pastures!

Tasty Tuesday

I love sweets! I am addicted to warm confections that chase all your troubles away! I especially love sweets that contain chocolate (which I consider to be an essential food group). Yesterday, I had an intense craving for something yummy. I asked Jim for his input on what to get or make. He requested "homemade cupcakes". I don't usually make cupcakes from scratch (Betty Crocker does it so much better!), but I decided to give it a try.

My can of cocoa just happens to contain a recipe for Hershey's Perfect Chocolate Cake. I had all the ingredients, but I did purchase frosting. My next goal is to learn how to make yummy buttercream and cream cheese frosting.

Hershey's Perfect Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:
2 cups white sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup HERSHEY®'S Cocoa Powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

Directions:


Heat oven to 350 F. Grease a pan of your choice (9 inch round, 13x9, cupcakes, bundt).

1. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.
2. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks.
3. One Pan Cake: Grease and flour 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Heat oven to 350 F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely. Frost.
4. Three Layer Cake: Grease and flour three 8-inch round baking pans. Heat oven to 350 F. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost.
5. Bundt Cake: Grease and flour 12-cup Bundt pan. Heat oven to 350 F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 50 to 55 minutes. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely. Frost
6. Cupcakes: Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups. Heat oven to 350 F. Fill cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely. Frost. About 30 cupcakes.

This was a delicious chocolate cake. I choose cream cheese frosting to top them and it was great!

Tasty Tuesday

I know! I know! I did not post a "Tasty Tuesday" entry last week! Forgive me, I was fighting viral bronchitis and didn't work for two days! I am just now feeling better and its been over a week! So, to make it up to everyone, I am going to post TWO (not one, but TWO!) Tasty Tuesday entries this week.

I love mexican food, but I really love quick and easy mexican food! Therefore, the following recipe has become a staple at our house for a quick and easy dinner that is de-lish!  Thanks to my big sister, Michelle, for introducing this one to our family!

Taco Ring


Ingredients:
1 lb. of ground hamburger meat
1 packet of taco seasoning
1 cup of shredded cheese (I use the Mexican Blend)
2 packages of crescent rolls

Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cook ground beef until brown, drain and rinse.
3. Add the taco seasoning and 2 tablespoons of water. (I add them to the packet to rinse out the residual seasoning).
4. Add cheese to seasoned taco meat and stir well to mix cheese as evenly as possible. Set aside.
5. Use a round pizza pan, spray with cooking spray, take the crescent rolls and place them on a pan with the points facing outward in a circular shape. It should look like a sun with the wide ends of the crescent rolls making the inner part of the sun and the tips making the outer part of the sun.
6. Spoon meat onto the inner part of the circle then wrap the tips inward to cover meat. You should get a crescent roll wreath stuffed with meat/cheese mixture.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Slice into sections before serving.

Serve with tomatoes, lettuce, onions, taco sauce, refried beans, and sour cream (or any combination of the above). Jim and I like to pile our Taco ring slices high with various toppings- the more the better! This dish reheats well so makes great leftovers.





I stole this picture from Pinterest but this is what the ring should look like when it is done baking!