A week from today.

Next Tuesday I'll be having minor surgery to remove at least one milk duct from my left breast. Let me just say that 3 months ago, I had no clue this procedure even existed! Oh the things you learn about your body once you have a baby, right? This isn't the easiest thing for me to talk about, considering it's private nature, but I've had so many people surround me with prayers and love that I feel encouraged to do so. 

Back in January I found a lump in my left breast that lead me to see my doctor. I was then referred to a breast specialist who kept a watchful eye on it while we waited on a few procedures and tests. Once cancer was ruled out (hallelujah!!!!!), I was diagnosed with Mammary Duct Ectasia.  Basically, because I had mastitis several times in the same breast with Madelyn, I have irreversible scarring in one or more milk ducts. The scarring has caused the duct(s) to clog and become quite uncomfortable.  

If I did not have surgery to remove the clogged ducts, I wouldn't be able to sucessfully breastfeed in the future, and since Sean and I want more children, my surgeon has suggested that we be proactive and remove the affected duct(s).  I am absolutely head over heels for my surgeon, Dr. Salzburg, and trust her judgement completely! Trust me, y'all, she's awesome. 

Please pray for my silly nerves, the surgery to go well, and for a quick recovery. Also keep Sean and the kids in your prayers as they deal with my recovery (which will hopefully be speedy)! I will certainly keep you posted on how everything goes , and I thank you all for your love and support! 

XO,

Erin

Resurfacing.

Well, long time no blog, eh? Let's just say that in today's world of Instagram and Facebook, there's really no need to post those adorable pictures of your kids to your blog when everyone that reads your enteries, follows you on the before mentioned social media.  I mean, am I right? Our day-to-day lives are pretty much lived out via photos of what we ate for lunch, and posts about how horrible tunnel traffic is in the area- and all of this us viewed instantly through an app. Now, my blog on the other hand, that's become my space for writing things that I may not necessarily want to on other types if social mediums.  For example, I may post to Facebook that I am having surgery, but did I say what for? Nope, and that's because it's on my boob (see, I do have a filter!). That's where the blog comes in. I can keep those that are interested up to date, while somewhat keeping things private (or at least without thrusting such information onto the news feeds of all the men I know!).  With my upcoming surgery, and us planning on buying a house in the next few months, I thought it'd be a good time to dust off the Blogger account and get busy typing! I'll be updating on what exactly my surgery is for and our all about our home buying process.  Welcome back and have a wonderful weekend, all!

But I don't want to!!

You know those little projects that you just keep putting of, and thus they hang over your head and keep nagging you? We all have one (or two, or three...) that you just can't bring yourself to do, no matter how simple they may actually be.  Here's my advice, JUST GO DO IT!

Until a few days ago, I hadn't cut a coupon for over a month and a half and my coupon drawer was over-flowing! I was dreading attacking the huge pile of newspaper inserts (and even thought it'd be easier to just throw them all away), but one night I just pulled the trigger, got out my scissors, and got to cutting! It only took about 2 hours to finish clipping and organizing everything, all while watching my regular Thursday night line-up.  I feel so liberated now, just by doing something about that nagging chore that turned out to not be so difficult after all!

Ironically enough, I had also been dreading posting to my blog since it had been so long.  I hate going a few weeks or months without posting an entry because I feel like I have to play "catch-up" with what's been going on in our lives.  Then I realized, no I don't.  What rule book says that? This is my blog and I can choose what and when I want to write! Sometimes we just don't have anything exciting going on, or I just don't have anything good to write about, and that's OK! You forgive me right? Gee...thanks! :)

Now, go and do...it'll make you feel so much better and give you an amazing sense of accomplishment!

Thankful for a bad day?

Where to start?! I haven't blogged ALL SUMMER.  I mean, I feel like I have nothing new to report, and yet 3 months has passed...so surely something has had to have happened, right?! Anyway, we'll just plan on catching up later and, for now, just go ahead and jump right into a new post!

Both kids pushed me to the limit and then some today.  William was especially nasty this afternoon, even with friends over, which is very atypical for him.  After spending some time by himself, he told me that the devil made him misbehave and he wanted to be a good boy again.  We talked about how the devil can try to make you do bad things but, as a Christian, it was his job to do what was right and what makes Jesus happy.  He started to tear up as I told him that when people did bad things, they needed to tell God they were sorry and ask for forgiveness.  I asked him if he wanted to ask God for forgiveness and he immediately said, "yes".  I asked him if he had a sick feeling in his tummy that was making him cry, and my sweet boy just nodded away.  I explained to him that the sick feeling was the Holy Spirit telling him that what he did was wrong.  We also talked about how if he asked for forgiveness, then that feeling would go away.  Together we prayed, my first born and I, and nothing that happened earlier in the day mattered anymore.

Moments like that are so special to me, and crucial to my relationship with my children.  Not an hour before our quite literal coming to Jesus talk, I confessed to a friend that I was at my wit's end with these kids.  Madelyn fought me on every count today: from going to the bathroom to pulling her hair elastic out (no less than 10 times).  William was rude and nasty while our guests were over, and disobedient more times than I can count.  I spent almost all day thinking wondering where I went wrong.  Why were my kids misbehaving so badly and driving me so ridiculously crazy?  Not one moment did I stop to think that my Father could be teaching me a lesson.

Looking back on the day, I truly believe that God uses our freewill as crucial teaching moments in our lives.  If William hadn't been so surly today, we wouldn't have had the opportunity to share in such an awesome moment of learning and growing together.  Today was definitely a test of patience, love, and compassion on my part, but it was so worth it in the end.  What was gained from our "bad day" is so much greater than any bit of sanity that was lost.  After all, I really wasn't but so sane to begin with, right?

Round two of savings! Ding! Ding!

Triple coupons started yesterday at Harris Teeter, and I posted to Facebook that I got $107 worth of groceries for $11.  I was pretty excited about my savings, but like a true coupon addict, I couldn't stop at that.  Today I had to go back and see if I could top it, and I'd say I did! I'd like to show you $90.95 worth of groceries for $1.85!! Tada!!!....

A lot of friends have asked if I actually get things that we need/use, so I wanted to take a picture to prove that I most certainly do! Here's a breakdown of what I got:

-2 packs of kid's yogurt
-4 pack toilet paper
-2 pack paper towels
-1 lb. asparagus
-1 Kraft fresh-take
-3 bottles of Barefoot reisling (score!!!!)
-2 bottles laundry detergent
-2 Ban deodorants
-1 pound butter
-1 jar mayo
-3 bottles marinade
-3 packs of panty liners
-1 bottle bathroom cleaner
-2 bottles dish detergent
-2 bottles hot sauce
-1 antibiotic for Madelyn (I'll explain...)

I did use 20 (the limit) coupons that I either clipped or printed, but I also took full advantage of a few deals.  The first being that I had a rain check for 2 bottles of Gain detergent (regularly $7.50 on sale for $3.77), and another one for the wine (regularly $5.99, but on sale for $3.97 a bottle).  I also had a $10 off coupon that I got in the mail (promoting the new store), and my last "trick" was using a $20 credit I got from the pharmacy just for filling a prescription at their location.  This deal is INSANELY good! For you local friends, let me just tell you that for every prescription you fill at the new Churchland HT (now until Halloween), you get $20 loaded on your VIC card.

Madelyn had a "just in case" antibiotic from the insane mosquito bite she got over the weekend, and I took it in to get it filled (and score the $20 credit).  Apparently they have another deal where certain antibiotics are FREE with your VIC card! Thus, I got her script for free and earned $20 for it! Seriously? I am so excited over this! I'm transferring my Zoloft over to them because it's only $3.99 there, so every month I'll be basically making $16 for getting a medicine I already purchase.  Score!

So, there ya go, I do get things we actually use/need, and all it takes is a little planning and collaboration of deals! Hope you score some good ones too this week!

Pain in the...

Ok, friends, I am in need of medical advice.  For about a week now (maybe almost two...I haven't really kept track) I've had headaches every.single.day.  Usually they start mid-morning, and if I take something they go away until mid-afternoon.  If I don't take anything, they'll last all day or come and go until I decide I need something for it.  Usually something mild like Bayer or Aleve will do the trick, but I'm wondering if I need something more potent and ,if so, what?

In fact, I've been feeling so cruddy that I went out and took a few pregnancy tests (my husband thought I was insane).  All of them have come back negative (as I deep down knew they would), but that just shows you how "hormonal" I'm feeling.  Sometimes I feel so nauseous that I swear it HAS to be morning sickness.  Not every time do the headaches have nausea accompanying them though.  I'm not sensitive to light anymore than I usually am, nor is my vision really affected.  I've never had migraines before, so I'm not sure if this is one or not.

Typically the headaches are on the very top of my head- a sort of crushing pain.  It literally feels like someone's sitting on my head. Of course I watch way too much medical dramas and have myself convinced that I have a brain tumor (yes, I realize I'm a total hypochondriac).

I haven't seen a doctor yet because, quite frankly, I'm not sure who the heck to see.  Do I see my primary just to be referred to someone else or be told to "wait and see", or do I go to a specialist, or my OBGYN? With our insurance it's not exactly like I have the luxury of hopping back and fourth to doctors.  Also, I don't want to jump the gun and go running to the doctor if there's something I can be doing on my own to help.  I know for a fact that I have not been drinking enough water (thanks to the nausea), nor keeping a regular sleep schedule.  Could that have an effect?

Have you or someone you know had a similar experience? If so, please let me know what you did! I am so tired to telling my kids, "Mommy has a headache".  These headaches are a real pain in the...well, you get the idea.

(Personal) Blast from the past...

This is the Easter post I wrote back in 2009.  I pulled it from my old blog and wanted to share our personal Easter miracle here.  Hope you enjoy!


As most of you know, my sweet William was born on Easter last year. It was the first Easter that I did not attend church (my water broke at 7 am), the first that I did not adorn a new dress, and the first that I did not have a huge feast with family. Those frivolous things didn't matter to me though. My whole world revolved around William and what he meant. 


To get the whole picture of my special Easter, I have to back up and give you some background information about my life. Every Sunday for as long as I have walked this Earth, I have gone to church. What does that mean? Absolutely nothing. For years I was a Sunday morning/holiday/blessing at meals "Christian".


Most parents will admit that their lives changed upon having children. My opinion is no different. However, I feel that my life changed COMPLETELY from the moment I found out that I was going to be having my sweet baby. You see, and this is very hard for me to divulge, Sean and I were not planning on having a baby for a couple of years. Our plan (and I know that this is hilarious to God) was to get married in May of 2008, buy a home, and then have children sometime after that. Children were not an option. Children were a must, but we had our "priorities" that needed to come first. That's why August 1, 2007 hit me like a ton of bricks. That was the day I found out that I was pregnant with William. It was a complete shock and happened in a way that I never imagined. I had pictured Sean pacing outside the bathroom door, eager to find out if there was a plus or minus sign. Instead, Sean was hundreds of miles away at his grandmother's funeral in CANADA! Of course he came home ASAP and was a million percent supportive, but I was still having a hard time letting myself deem the pregnancy as "ok".


I wanted nothing more than to be a mother, but not like this! What a nightmare, right??




Wrong.




Little did I know, but God had a wonderful plan for our growing family. On October 6th, Sean and I had a beautiful wedding at our church...just the way we wanted it to be and no corners were cut. My parents were so supportive and my dad made sure that I had the wedding that I always wanted. We had a small, one bedroom apartment lined up and were showered with tons of gifts to fill it with. It wasn't the cute little cape cod that I was dreaming of, but it suited us just fine for 11 months.


When the time came for baby showers, I was blessed with 4! We received everything we needed for Sweet William's arrival and some! As my due date grew closer I was slowly becoming more comfortable with talking about my pregnancy, but still viewed it as a sore subject. Don't get me wrong, I was never ashamed of William...not for a minute. I was, however, ashamed of my sin. Since I was known by all as a "Christian", I felt tarnished and dull because I was not the beacon that I was intended to be...not yet anyway.


When Easter weekend approached, I got on my knees and prayed for William to come. I was so tired of being pregnant and miserable (even though I wasn't due for nearly two more weeks), and we had lots of family and friends in for the holiday. I just kept thinking, "Oh, wouldn't it be wonderful if all our loved ones were here when William arrived?!" 


God heard my plea.


Easter morning I awoke feeling a bit crampy and didn't quite know what to think of it. I was in charge of going to my mom and dad's house to pop in the turkey before church ,so I called to tell them I didn't think I could do it. While on the phone with my mom, my water broke. 11 hours later my Wipee was born. 


I don't think the magnitude of that day set in for awhile. Of course I knew that March 23, 2008 would forever be etched in my mind because it was the day of William's birth, but I did not know how profound of an impact it would have until months later. Looking back, I don't know how I missed one of the greatest gifts that God has given me. I thought my son was the greatest gift, but God gave me a cherry on top. He gave me forgiveness. Of course I had been forgiven upon repentance, but God wanted to show me on that particular day that I was forgiven.


God could have had William come at any time, any day, any year, but God chose for William to come on the celebration of His son's life! How awesome is that? There will never be an Easter quite like the one I had last year. Having an outward sign of God's love and forgiveness is something that forever changed me, and I am ever so grateful for it.


Thank you for allowing me to share something so personal with you. I hope that you and yours have a beautiful Easter for He is risen so that we might live!