Chick-fil-A #FreshMade Giveaway!!!!

Great news readers!!!! My sponsor is giving away 2 Chick-fil-A salad coupons to one of my lucky readers. Who doesn't love Chick-fil-A by the way?! Chick-fil-A has introduced 3 premium salads and an improved wrap all under 430 calories. This is really great since bikini season is upon us!! So "Take your taste buds to greener pastures" and enter today. Giveaway ends May 24, 2013. Disclosure: This giveaway is being brought to you by Chick-fil-A and Partners Hub.  Enter giveaway via Rafflecopter below.

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Salted Caramel Brownie

Yum!!! Check out what I whipped up today for the children's after school snack!  If you like the juxtaposition of sweet and salty, you will love this combination!!!  Just make your favorite brownie recipe, top with some caramel sauce and sprinkle with some sea salt.  Easy Peasy!!!!

Pregnant With Dystonia : A Birth Story

"Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might"......Push. Grit teeth. Stop.  "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me"...Push. Open eyes. Close eyes. Stop.  "Fear not for I am with you"......Push harder, longer. Stop. Open eyes.  "I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you"......Push. STOP!!!!  Push again! He's out!!!  Wait.  Listen for baby.  No cry.  PRAY!!!

As I lay there listening, watching my husband for clues, everyone scrambled into action.  It was routine for them, choreographed well.  "Is the baby ok?!"  No answer.  Pray.  I look over at my husband with his eyes glued on our precious gift from God.    Pediatricians continue to work on the baby.  Still no cry.  13 minutes later he was intubated and transferred to the special care nursery.  "It's all my fault."  "The Dr. warned me this could happen."   "I am so selfish....so so selfish."

Let me backtrack a little to my 20th week of pregnancy.  Up until then everything was going really well.  I was the picture of health and Dystonic flare ups were few and far between.  The summer flu paid our home a visit and caused my Dystonia to flare up and I was hospitalized.  For those of you not familiar with my Dystonia.  I have Generalized Paroxysmal Dystonia.  It causes my muscles to contort and painfully spasm.  It usually begins with lower extremities and travels upward.  Once it reaches my trunk, my breathing becomes compromised and I risk being intubated.  For this reason my neurologist suggested I deliver early and not risk going in labor.  After weighing the pros and cons, consulting with my obgyn, and praying, my husband and I decided to try to deliver naturally vs. cesarean.  Well my 37th week arrived and I was a few days from getting an amnio done to tell if the baby's lungs were developed.  As the rest of the east coast braced for Hurricane Sandy to hit, the low barometric pressure ushered in a storm of other sorts.. a Dystonic Storm.  I was rushed to the hospital and was given Dilaudid for pain and Benadryl for the spasms.  My muscles continued to contort and I had very few options.  I was only 1cm dilated and Pitocin was started to speed up the process. The contractions of Dystonia combined with the contractions of childbirth were so painful!!!  Prior to labor I was adamant about not taking Ativan or Valium because the baby could be born floppy.  As the pain increased the Drs assured me everything would be okay and I agreed to the meds.  This is where I should have stood strong.  Instead I agreed and my baby was born floppy exactly like my obgyn told me.

Fast forward and everything eventually worked out.  After an extended stay in the special care nursery with some other complications, Atreo was sent home.  Today he is a healthy almost six month old baby, full of energy and thriving!

The main reason I am writing this post is to be an encouragement to anyone going through a similiar trial.  When my neuro suggested I have DBS, I freaked.  I wanted to explore other options before making such a life changing decision.  I prayed and asked God to guide me as to what to do.  Shortly after I was pregnant and it wasn't all about me anymore.  I worried if the baby could feel the pain I was in during my Dystonic Storms.  My wonderful Drs assured me everything would be ok.  I worried if the meds I was on would harm my unborn child and today I have a beautiful healthy baby!  I do wish I would have made a wiser decision about taking those meds during labor.  That is the most disheartening thing about my birth story.  But God is so good and it all worked out for good in the end.  Be encouraged friends!!!

Angry Birds Cupcakes

I am so happy to get back to doing what I absolutely love. As many of you know, while I was pregnant I took a hiatus from baking and blogging. This was probably because of exhaustion and a lack of inspiration.  Well Spring is here and I am renewed and I have been feeling the urge to express myself through various creative outlets.  Here's a peek at what I have been up to lately.  These cupcakes were made for my "bonus son" Jey for his 8th birthday.   The fondant toppers took quite a while but I think they turned out great.  This week I am busy preparing for my daughter's "Night Owl" themed slumber party.  Taking a shindig to the next level is when I am in my element and I am so excited, (maybe even more than the birthday girl herself).  Wish me luck as I am preparing to host ten darlings this weekend.  In the meantime check out these cupcakes!

                                                        

It's been far too long!

Yes, it has been far too long friends! I haven't posted in such a long time.  The truth is I was a bit overwhelmed with the pregnancy and coping with Dystonia.  I had to focus all of my energy on keeping my little bundle of joy cooking for as long as possible.  I received a lot of emails from folks encouraging me to update them on the pregnancy and my health.  Well on October 30, 2012, I welcomed a beautiful baby boy into this world. I will have to update you all on the roller coaster ride that developed in a later blog post, but God is sooooo good!!! As I sit here now I have a gorgeous healthy 5 month old baby sitting in his bouncer.  He is the most happy, calm natured child ever.  I am truly blessed!  My Dystonia flare ups have been rather mild and quite sporadic (knock on wood).  Other than that life is crazy hectic, but I am taking it in stride.  I am looking forward to getting back on the ball and update you all on all the deets regarding Dystonia during pregnancy.  Ciao for now!!!

Gender Reveal, Placenta Previa

Wow, I can't believe that my pregnancy is almost half way through!  Time is going by so fast but at times I find myself wishing it would go by just a little faster. Last Wednesday I went in for an ultrasound to measure my cervix.  Because of my Dystonia I have been having contractions and this ultrasound was to be a baseline measurement to compare to  later in the event my cervix begins to efface.  I went into the appt with a positive attitude hoping merely to get a peek at the baby's anatomy.  Well, I found out it is a BOY!!!!!  The news was a bit overshadowed by the fact that I found out I have placenta previa.  Uuuuugh!!!!!  Knowing that my mom had placenta previa when I was born premature and nearly died, kinda caused a bit of anxiety.  Anxiety that I do not need having Dystonia as well.  What is Placenta Previa?  According to BabyCenter.com, placenta previa means that your placenta is lying unusually low in the cervix.  The placenta is the organ that supplies your baby nutrients through the umbilical cord."

Source: BabyCenter

  I have read tons of forum posts from women,  which may not be such a great thing, that say their previa migrated up and they were able to deliver vaginally.    Other women like my mom have had severe bleeding which led to an emergency c-section and premature birth.  Yesterday, I began to bleed and immediately called my ob/gyn.  I was instructed to keep my legs up and go immediately to the hospital if I bleed any further.  So here I am today, feeling pretty good.  I have been taking it easy, as easy as I can with a house full of children, and praying I don't bleed anymore.  I really don't want to be on hospital bed rest for the duration of my pregnancy.  I really need all of your prayers for my precious baby boy.  I am so in love with him already.  Many thanks, till next time:)

"Welcome to Summer Vacation" Party

I spent a lot of time this week reminiscing about the summers of my youth.  My favorite memories consisted of days away at summer camp, long days of unbridled fun, evenings catching fireflies and mouth watering treats ushered to my doorstep by an ice cream truck.  Those days were magical and I believe should be for all children.  Well in honor of the last day of school and the official first "half" day of summer vacation, I surprised the neighborhood kids with a "Welcome to Summer Vacation" party.  Pizza, ice cream and cupcakes hit the spot.  Prizes were passed out for best sidewalk chalk art followed by an epic water gun fight.   The kids had a blast and it was an awesome start to a memorable summer.  Here's a peek into the party!