Some weeks more than others I am reminded of little Grace's mortality. Williams Syndrome is a fairly complicated diagnosis, so many organs/glands can be affected. Grace sees SO many different specialists and gets tests ran on her all the time. The goal is to catch a problem before it is given time to make a larger problem out of itself. But Dr.s aren't perfect and sometimes even they miss something. I used to drive myself crazy running scenarios through my head of what could have been missed and just worrying myself silly in general.
One day this verse came to mind:
Philippians 4:6-7
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
EVERYDAY I have to give over my little girl in prayer. And the promise is true, the peace He gives surpasses all understanding. I can't wrap my mind around how He take such fear and stress and replaces them with unadulterated peace...
I know that there is always an incredibly small sliver of a chance, that one morning when I walk into her nursery to wake her up that she could have gone to be with Jesus over night. With all the advancements in technology and her great Dr.s I know this happening is practically nil, but I know it is not so outlandish to never happen.
My worry was that I would be hit so hard, I would not rejoice in the life that was given her; but be incredibly angry in the time that was lost. I am sure that there is probably healthy level of anger that we experience in the grieving process, but that's not the anger I am referring to.
When Philippians 4:6-7 says "in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God," that means when I give over my fears and stresses I do it in Thanksgiving. I also give thanks for the sweet girl I get to spend one more day with. Each day with her is not one to just "get through," but one to be savored and relished! Children are miracles which we should never take for granted; they teach us more about the Heavenly Father than they ever realize.
I hope that whenever God does call my sweet girl home, whether it be two years or eighty, that I look back on the gift of life that blessed our little home and not look ahead at the time that was lost.
Proverbs 27:1 "Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day might bring."
Each day with our children is a miracle. Love them, spend time with them, and let them know how cherished they are Everyday. I look forward to all that God will continue teaching me through our little miracle, she has blessed me in ways she may never know.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Friday, January 13, 2012
The NEW Way The Wheats' Eat
SO.... On Facebook, I shared a little while back that we would be updating with a post on our "NEW" take on the way we eat. I know this post may seem a tad scatter-brained HA! But there is SO much information to share, and I wanted to try to condense it as much as possible. :) So please, bear with me. :)
"THE" Change has probably been in the works for about 2 years now and we are excited to announce that we are finally making the transition! We are EXCITED to share with you all what we're doing, and hope that we can motivate others to make the change too! :)
Shortly after we had Grace I began baking almost all the bread we ate, we at that point were anti-preservatives. With Grace's undiagnosed WS (way to go BCS medical professionals. Yes, still a tad peeved about that lol.), it made eating the way we wanted near impossible. However, as things gradually improved, so did my time in kitchen.
Once I quit working Grace finally started sleeping for 7 hours at one time, notice I did not say through the night lol. Grace's crazy night owl sleep schedule was going to bed around 5am and waking up around 1pm. What did I do to pass the time? I spent A LOT of time in the kitchen learning. I learned SOOO much logging in all those hours, and for that, I am thankful. :)
Since we were about half way through the pregnancy with Grace, we have been dreaming of owning a 20 acre spread complete with my mid-size garden, a Jersey milking cow, chicken coop, pigs, beef cows, and a nice crew of ranch dogs. We know this is how we want to feed our family, but we also know this dream becoming reality won't happen tomorrow. I felt stuck shopping at the grocery store, drinking processed milk (they kill the good cultures), eating corn-fed beef, GMO fruit, GMO Vegetables, GMO Yogurt, and probably 5 million other GMO products the supermarket puts on the shelves.
I tried in little ways to cut out some of the processed food and baked all our bread needs; but it still wasn't enough. Since we moved back to DFW (and SO thankful we did, they have TONS of foodie options) I started researching the new food options in our area; that's when I came across eatwild.com. BEST. SITE. EVER. Seriously, check it out, you will be so glad you did. This site connected us to all the local farmers and ranchers in our area, so instead of buying GMO products from the local supermarket, we can buy from and support our local farmers/ranchers. We were really excited about this find, but still hadn't made the switch. We still needed a huge deep freeze and with the holidays underfoot, it was put on the back burner.
Well, this past weekend while I was cruising to find something to watch on Netflix I decided to check out the documentary section (don't make fun lol); and thought we should watch a film that explored our view point on food. Out of the handful they offered, I remembered some talk about "Food, Inc." a few years back; so I thought we'd give it a go. OH MY GOSH, I couldn't believe I hadn't seen it sooner!!!! So many times during this film, I wanted to run to the bathroom and throw up everything I have eaten over the past 26 years. What we eat at restaurants, fast food, and the super-market is seriously DISTURBING! This was the last straw for us, deep freeze or not, Jonathan and I decided to jump in immediately. Thankfully, our Gracie has yet to have a GMO product or any processed foods outside of her specialized formula (I made all her babyfood at home and organic).
We have found a great local farm that's in our neighborhood that will provide us with fresh raw milk, produce, beef, pork, chicken, and fresh eggs. Living on the outskirts of town definitely has its advantages. :) I can't say enough about the variety of The Cowtown Farmer's Market, great for filling in the gaps when we can't get all our produce needs at the farm. And if that's not amazing enough, my friend Ashlie told me about Whole Foods. It is almost the perfect marriage between convenience and our new food values. Great selection!!! However, after my recent trip to Central Market; it is safe to say I am not so much a fan anymore. They barely had any fresh organic produce, and even though they had the words "grass fed beef" plastered everywhere, they didn't have a single pound of it in the meat market.... UN-Impressed. Besides that place is always crowded. In the next two weeks we hope to purchase our first deep freeze and pick out our first cow! Not to bring home as a pet, but ready for the deep freeze LOL. These changes are super exciting and already we can feel the difference!
We are not just doing this for the personal well being of the three of us, but for the future Wheat babies also. One of the thoughts that keeps creeping up on me these days is, "what if the way we eat is somehow a contributor to genetical mutations in pregnancies?" I bet I can find a million Dr.s who will swear up and down that eating Genetically Modified (GMO) Fruits, Veggies, Chickens, Eggs, Beef, Seafood (essentially EVERYTHING you eat) has no effect on your health or your pregnancies. But I don't buy that one bit. It's simple logic ya'll. GMO in, GMO out. And it's not like we eat an occasional GMO, but that's ALL we eat. Anybody else see the sudden spike in the special needs numbers in the last 30 years, or is it just me? This concept completely freaks me out!!!
There are so many reasons for us to make this change, and we know it won't always be easy. But you can't put a price on peace of mind, so we are happy to welcome the new challenges! We seriously encourage everybody to research your food; or if time is an issue, just sit down and spend some time watching "Food, Inc." It will change your life, lol, or at least the way you look at food. :)
Blessings,
Our Food Story
"THE" Change has probably been in the works for about 2 years now and we are excited to announce that we are finally making the transition! We are EXCITED to share with you all what we're doing, and hope that we can motivate others to make the change too! :)
A Bit of History
November 2009
June 2010
Once I quit working Grace finally started sleeping for 7 hours at one time, notice I did not say through the night lol. Grace's crazy night owl sleep schedule was going to bed around 5am and waking up around 1pm. What did I do to pass the time? I spent A LOT of time in the kitchen learning. I learned SOOO much logging in all those hours, and for that, I am thankful. :)
2009
Since we were about half way through the pregnancy with Grace, we have been dreaming of owning a 20 acre spread complete with my mid-size garden, a Jersey milking cow, chicken coop, pigs, beef cows, and a nice crew of ranch dogs. We know this is how we want to feed our family, but we also know this dream becoming reality won't happen tomorrow. I felt stuck shopping at the grocery store, drinking processed milk (they kill the good cultures), eating corn-fed beef, GMO fruit, GMO Vegetables, GMO Yogurt, and probably 5 million other GMO products the supermarket puts on the shelves.
June 2010-Present Day :)
I tried in little ways to cut out some of the processed food and baked all our bread needs; but it still wasn't enough. Since we moved back to DFW (and SO thankful we did, they have TONS of foodie options) I started researching the new food options in our area; that's when I came across eatwild.com. BEST. SITE. EVER. Seriously, check it out, you will be so glad you did. This site connected us to all the local farmers and ranchers in our area, so instead of buying GMO products from the local supermarket, we can buy from and support our local farmers/ranchers. We were really excited about this find, but still hadn't made the switch. We still needed a huge deep freeze and with the holidays underfoot, it was put on the back burner.
Well, this past weekend while I was cruising to find something to watch on Netflix I decided to check out the documentary section (don't make fun lol); and thought we should watch a film that explored our view point on food. Out of the handful they offered, I remembered some talk about "Food, Inc." a few years back; so I thought we'd give it a go. OH MY GOSH, I couldn't believe I hadn't seen it sooner!!!! So many times during this film, I wanted to run to the bathroom and throw up everything I have eaten over the past 26 years. What we eat at restaurants, fast food, and the super-market is seriously DISTURBING! This was the last straw for us, deep freeze or not, Jonathan and I decided to jump in immediately. Thankfully, our Gracie has yet to have a GMO product or any processed foods outside of her specialized formula (I made all her babyfood at home and organic).
The NEW Way We Eat
Grass Fed Beef, NOT Corn.
NO GMO products. All Veggies and Fruits must be Fresh and Organic.
If we buy a boxed product, it also cannot be GMO of any nature.
Raw Milk, better for digestion and more nutritious! Plus we can make our own butter!
All Seafood must be wild caught.
Chicken and Eggs, cage free (organic) and local.
Organic Flour and some different grains for baking!
We have found a great local farm that's in our neighborhood that will provide us with fresh raw milk, produce, beef, pork, chicken, and fresh eggs. Living on the outskirts of town definitely has its advantages. :) I can't say enough about the variety of The Cowtown Farmer's Market, great for filling in the gaps when we can't get all our produce needs at the farm. And if that's not amazing enough, my friend Ashlie told me about Whole Foods. It is almost the perfect marriage between convenience and our new food values. Great selection!!! However, after my recent trip to Central Market; it is safe to say I am not so much a fan anymore. They barely had any fresh organic produce, and even though they had the words "grass fed beef" plastered everywhere, they didn't have a single pound of it in the meat market.... UN-Impressed. Besides that place is always crowded. In the next two weeks we hope to purchase our first deep freeze and pick out our first cow! Not to bring home as a pet, but ready for the deep freeze LOL. These changes are super exciting and already we can feel the difference!
We are not just doing this for the personal well being of the three of us, but for the future Wheat babies also. One of the thoughts that keeps creeping up on me these days is, "what if the way we eat is somehow a contributor to genetical mutations in pregnancies?" I bet I can find a million Dr.s who will swear up and down that eating Genetically Modified (GMO) Fruits, Veggies, Chickens, Eggs, Beef, Seafood (essentially EVERYTHING you eat) has no effect on your health or your pregnancies. But I don't buy that one bit. It's simple logic ya'll. GMO in, GMO out. And it's not like we eat an occasional GMO, but that's ALL we eat. Anybody else see the sudden spike in the special needs numbers in the last 30 years, or is it just me? This concept completely freaks me out!!!
There are so many reasons for us to make this change, and we know it won't always be easy. But you can't put a price on peace of mind, so we are happy to welcome the new challenges! We seriously encourage everybody to research your food; or if time is an issue, just sit down and spend some time watching "Food, Inc." It will change your life, lol, or at least the way you look at food. :)
Blessings,
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