Weekend Festivities!

This weekend was full of fun Halloween activities! I always look forward to this time of year and I have to say that having a little one makes it even more amazing. 

Saturday morning we toyed around with running a fun run on post but when we got up and realized that it was going to be 30 degrees at the start we opted against it haha (if we had paid for it we would have thought a little harder about doing it). Instead we headed to breakfast at a local place, enjoyed some pancakes, and then headed off to Target. We picked up some candy for Halloween night and a few other things we needed.

We relaxed for most of the afternoon and then got ready for the Monster Dash 5k! I had our costumes figured out weeks ago and I'm so happy with how they turned out. The race was great and it was #99!  It started at 7pm and was chilly but once we got moving it was fine. It was a giant loop course which I love, but the best part was seeing everyone's costumes along the way. 

In case you can't tell we were characters from The Nightmare Before Christmas. Which happens to be one of my favorite movies. Kyle was Jack Skellington while me and E were Sally. 

It was such a fun event and as usual E was awesome!

Sunday morning we headed off to the Kansas City Zoo for Boo at the Zoo with some friends of ours. This was going to be the first time that E really experienced trick or treating. Oh my goodness, she loved it! She carried her bucket and held it out for people to put candy in it all while mumbling something that could have been "trick or treat". It was the sweetest!

She was excited for her first carousel ride!

 It was a beautiful day at the zoo!

 We left the zoo around 11 because we had a BBQ to attend. It was thrown by one of the Kyle's professors from his college ROTC program. He is retired from the Army and lives in Leavenworth with his wife. He invited a few other alumni from WSU over and it was a great time! 

Overall, it was a great weekend! We had a blast kicking off our Halloween festivities. I hope you all had a great weekend!

Always Trust Your Instincts

When you have kids you don't ever anticipate them having to deal with something medically that can alter their lives. One of our biggest concerns was that E was going to inherit the hereditary cholesterol condition that Kyle has. 

This condition is called Familia Hypercholesterolemia Type 2A, which is caused by a defect of the 19th chromosome. It is characterized by high levels of cholesterol as well as high levels of bad cholesterol know as low density lipoprotein (LDL). This defect makes the body unable to remove the LDL from the blood, which can cause narrowing of the arteries at a very early age. Only one parent has to pass this gene onto their children in order for them to get it. If both parents carry this gene and pass it, it can create significant problems and be harder to treat. If this condition goes untreated it can lead to heart disease, heart attack, and stroke at an early age. It is something that should be taken seriously and treated accordingly. 

Kyle was diagnosed with this condition when he was 2 1/2 years old due to the fact that his Mom has it. He spent his life being on a restricted diet before he was able to be put on medication when he was 18.  He received exams with a pediatric cardiologist every 6 months until 16 and then was moved to a regular cardiologist. He now takes both lipitor and zetia to control his condition with routine checks. My MIL has a severe form of this condition, she only received the gene from her mother but it mutated. She has a treatment every 6 months called Lipid Apheresis that removes the LDL from her bloodstream and she pairs that with a variety of medications and diet control to manager her condition. At 35, she had a triple bypass and then several years later had a complete aortic valve replacement due to the calcified cholesterol. She has the rare homozygous version while Kyle and E have the heterozygous that occurs in 1 in 500 people. 

Why am I telling you all this? Well, because our sweet E was diagnosed with this condition a few days ago. Kyle and I discussed on several different occasions that we wanted to get her tested but I think we were both afraid. He knew what that would mean for her if she had it. I took her in on Tuesday morning to talk to her primary care doctor and she agreed to put in the labs. She said there are no studies regarding a 1 year old being tested but if I was okay with it so was she. I had zero knowledge about this condition prior to marrying Kyle so this is all new to me. 

At about 4:30 that day I received a phone call from the nurse. She confirmed what we already knew in the back of our minds. E has it. She said they have never seen a 13 month old's levels that high. Here are her numbers:

Cholesterol: 263 (normal range in a child is under 170)

LDL: 166 (normal range in a child is under 90)

HDL: 37 (normal range is over 35, she is borderline here)

This cholesterol level is high for even an adult male, so for a 13 month old it's scary. I was happy when the nurse said that before they even called us they had faxed her paperwork over to the children's hospital in Kansas City. She will see a pediatric cardiologist that specializes in lipid abnormalities. She will also see a nutritionist at this same appointment. So she couldn't be in better hands. Until we have that appointment we will work on her diet. No juice (she doesn't get that anyway), no flavored milk, limit starches, and lots of vegetables, fruits, and protein. Her labs will be re-done approximately 1 month before that appointment to see if there has been any change.

While diet, exercise, and medication can help with this, it is never going to go away. This is something that she will live with for the rest of her life as have Kyle, his Mom, and brother. At this point it is all about managing the condition and ensuring that she is healthy. There is no magic medication or alternative treatment that will cure it because it is a chromosomal abnormality. It's hard enough to deal with this as an adult but for a child it's even harder. I am so glad we know now so we can move forward with a plan.

If you wouldn't mind sending good thoughts our way it would be greatly appreciated.

Of course, E has no idea what is going on. She is still a happy and amazing little girl!

Kansas City Half Marathon

For the last few weeks I have been prepping to run the Kansas City Half Marathon. Kyle and I made a deal that I would run this race solo and he would run a half in a few weeks solo. With such an early start time we didn't feel comfortable getting E up so early. So they stayed home and had a daddy/daughter morning. I was really looking forward to this event because a lot of my friends (mostly from SLAM) would be running it. 

On Friday, Lauren and I headed to KC to pick up our packets. I have to say that for an event of this size they made the process so easy! 

On Saturday morning, I was up at 4:15am! I don't think I got more than 2 hours of sleep. I was pumped and ready to get the day going. I was picking up Lauren and our fearless SLAM leader, Meghan. 

We arrived in KC at around 6am and waited for the rest of our ladies to show up. We had some that were running the half and some that were running the 10k. We, of course, made sure that we took a pre-race photo.

We lined up at the start and I was in awe of how many people there were. I found out later that in the half alone there were 3,585 people (6,978 people total).

(photo credit to Lauren)

The race started right on time at 7:05am, with fireworks! It was impressive and really neat. With all of the people it took about 5 minutes to cross the start line. I knew from the start the I couldn't bolt out, I had to pace myself and really be cognizant of my time otherwise I would burn out too quickly. The wind was also a factor, I think at one point there were 15mph gusts and it was hard to get through.

I ran with Lauren for the first mile until the 10k split off and she went her own way. I caught up with our friend Sara and ran with her for a few miles. The course was really nice, a little hilly, but not terrible. The half we did a few weeks ago was worse haha. I did my best to keep a steady pace and at the half way point, I realized I was keeping an average of a 9:30 pace. I was thrilled with that.

In all honesty it felt like the time went by really fast and before I knew I was at the 12 mile mark. I couldn't believe that I was almost finished. I turned the last corner and realized that the last .5 mile was all downhill! Whoever designed this course was brilliant! 

I could see the finish line and I felt instant relief and I saw friends at the finish line. I crossed and stopped my watch, I was shocked when I saw 2:07! I PR'd my half time by over 10 minutes. I was blown away. My gun time was 2:13:14 but my chip time was 2:07:47! 

 Lauren was awesome and snapped these photos for me!

It was such an amazing event! It was so fun running with friends.

I really hope that we are here for another year because I would love to run this again!

Shatto Home Delivery

One of the things that I was most excited about when it came to moving to Leavenworth was the milk delivery company that services post and the surrounding area. 

This company is Shatto Milk Company. This company has been producing high quality products for 75 years and they call Osborn, Missouri home. We had the opportunity to visit the farm during their family day a few weeks ago and it was amazing. Seeing how the cows are cared for and the facilities they use was impressive. 

One of the things I love about them is that their milk products are in glass bottles. There is just something special about getting that glass bottle, I don't know why but it tastes so much better. Even more amazing is that they don't just provide milk. They have a variety of products and are partnered with the Kearney Culinary Academy to provide meals as well. They have delicious side dishes, entrees, cheese, meat, eggs, fruit, vegetables, sweet treats, bread, as well as things like salsa. Kyle absolutely loves their salsa! 

Now that E is drinking whole milk, we wanted to get a good brand that was high quality and we knew that Shatto was it. Home delivery made that decision even easier, there is nothing better than having the products you order on your doorstep every Thursday. We just place our cooler on the porch the night before and we get a text message when our items have been delivered. I love how easy their delivery service is. If I have empty bottles from the week before I place them in the cooler and they take them, plus I am refunded the $2 bottle deposit. 

You can tailor your deliveries how you want. You can set up weekly recurring orders, biweekly orders, or even just simple one time orders. They make the process extremely easy and everything is paid automatically through their website. 

Our first order consisted of 1/2 gallon of whole milk, 2 pounds of strawberries, and a package of everything bagels. It may seem like a simple order but we go through a lot of this stuff and I know that their product are always good (the commissary and walmart have been slacking with their strawberries lately). I plan on adding more items to our list but this has been a great start so far.

If you ever have a chance to try their products, please do!

I cannot recommend them enough. 

Halloween Costume Fun!

I have to say that one of the funnest things about having a child is being able to dress them up for Halloween. It is no surprise to most people who know me well that I LOVE Halloween! I look forward to it every year and while I may not always dress up, there is just something so fun about scary movies, Halloween treats, decorations, and seeing kiddos (and adults) dressed up for a night of fun! We are bummed though to be missing my sister's Halloween party this year but such is life. Of course no Halloween is complete without dressing Emma and Fishy up as well. I have a bin full of costumes to choose from for them haha. I’m sure they will be angry at me as always. 

Last year, we all dressed up as Ninja Turtles and it was so much fun! 

 This year we have several events to attend and so this means a few costumes for E! For the record, I only bought 1 costume this year because I bought 2 on clearance last year that I just couldn't pass up (yes, I know it may be a little overboard lol). 

My workout group is having a trunk or treat after class so for that E is going to be:

A sweet little lamb! Target

I'll be dressing up as a llama (I have a llama onesie, don't judge lol) so we will both be rocking the farm animal theme haha.

There is a Boo at the Zoo event in KC the Saturday before Halloween and we will also be running a Halloween 5k that night so she will be:

Sally from Nightmare Before Christmas! 

Kyle and I will be wearing Jack Skellington shirts for both occasions. 

For Halloween night we will take E trick or treating for an hour or so with friends before settling in at home to pass out candy. For that night she will be:

An adorable little frappuccino! Party City

To fit in with the theme, Kyle and I will be dressing up as Baristas. I ordered our aprons from Amazon and they are perfect.

I just need to find some old headsets and we will be ready to go for that night. 

We are so excited and can't wait enjoy this Halloween season with E. 

Are you dressing up for Halloween? If so, what are you being?

Life Lately

How is it already the middle of October? I feel like everyday is just flying by! 

We have been staying pretty occupied lately and it's been a lot of fun. I will say that this area is a winner when it comes to activities. Here is what we have been up to lately.

*The fire station on post held an open house. We were able to go inside the station, see the firetrucks and equipment plus have some food. It was a beautiful day out and E loved being able to to walk all over the place. She looked so tiny in front of the firetrucks. 

*Kyle had Columbus Day off work (here at CGSC they do not get 4 day weekends like the rest of the military but believe me we will take any day off) so I took him along to SLAM with me. He always says that this is one of the best workouts because it works out EVERYTHING haha. 

 Let me tell you how much it sucks holding your husband up while he does a handstand pushup haha! 

I look forward to many more opportunities of torturing him in class haha.

*I went to a sign making class with some friends last week and it was a blast. I'm not the most creative person so it was nice having everything essentially laid out for us. We just had to do minimal painting so I was happy. I love how the signs turned out.

*We finally decorated for Halloween. I have yet to take a picture with the lights on but we have already had people stop and tell us how much they like it. We didn't even touch half of the lights but this is really the perfect amount.

*Last Saturday night I attended our monthly SLAM Mom's Night Out event. It was a diamond heist mystery dinner that was put together by one of the ladies in our group and it was so much fun! We all got dressed up and enjoyed dinner at a really good Italian restaurant in town. I love this group of ladies, we really have the best time hanging out. It's always fun seeing everyone not in workout clothes haha.

*The weather has been interesting here lately. We have mornings where it is 40 degrees but by the afternoon it's in the 70's. It makes outings very interesting haha. Over the weekend we attended a birthday party at a farm. E was obsessed with this turkey, he gobbled at her a few times and she loved it.

Speaking of animals, E has finally discovered Fishy haha! He is no longer safe. Also, notice how Emma is safely on the couch witnessing the torment.

We also were finally able to explore the National WWI Museum with friends. It was impressive and the grounds are beautiful. Can't beat this view of Kansas City. 

I certainly hope that we get to be here for longer than just a year but if not we will soak up the time we do have.

Hope you all had a great weekend! 

We Remember

In 1988, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed that the month of October would be National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month saying this:

"When a child loses his parent, they are called an orphan. When a spouse loses her or his partner, they are called a widow or widower. When parents lose their child, there isn't a word to describe them. This month recognizes the loss so many parents experience across the United States and around the world. It is also meant to inform and provide resources for parents who have lost children due to miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, molar pregnancy, stillbirths, birth defects, SIDS, and other causes."

Too often this type of loss is not talked about, some suffer in silence wondering why they have to endure such tremendous pain. It is important to advocate for those who are struggling with this type of loss and to show them that they are not alone and that they are loved.

When Kyle and I experienced our first loss in 2009 we did not know how to deal with it, with each loss after that we learned ways to get through it even though the pain did not go away. Talking about our journey and educating others has been incredibly therapeutic. Looks for events in your local area to support this cause. I am so thankful that my workout group, Stroller Strong Moms, is holding a special class today and a Hike to Remember afterwards. It is going to give solace to so many women who have been through this tremendous loss.

As I sit here and look at our precious miracle, Emersyn, I wonder how our lives would be different had we not experienced these losses. I wonder if we would be the same people we are now had we not endured all we did. We have been forever changed by the five precious lives that we never got to see on this earth and I chose to honor them forever with this tattoo, there are five hearts representing our babies who never got to know how much we love them and wanted them. 

We are beyond grateful for our daughter and as she gets older we want her to know the journey we experienced, to know that these babies (her siblings) were so wanted as was she, we want to be honest with her so that she will understand how loss like this happens far more than people think. 

To all those who have experienced this unspeakable loss, we remember your babies, and we will light a candle in their honor. 

Please consider lighting a candle at 7pm on October 15th which has been designated as Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day to remember all those precious babies that have been lost. 

October 15th

E's 1 Year Photos

A few weeks ago we had E's 1 year photos taken. Our sweet friend, Liz, is a wonderful photographer here and was working with a new setup so she invited us over to have some fun.

I am absolutely in love with how these photos turned out. I cannot recommend Liz enough for those who live in this area. She utilized some of the decorations from E's party and that made it all the more special.

Once we finished with this setup, Liz had a cute bathtub setup idea and oh my gosh! 

I can't wait to see the rest once we get our gallery, it's already so hard to choose which ones to print.

It is still hard to believe that we have a 1 year old (well now 13 month old). 

She has such a sweet heart and is happy 99% of the time haha. We are so lucky that we get to be her parents, even the hard days are so so worth it.