Baby Girl Update

Well I'm at 21 weeks, so half way there. Finally I can feel lots of movement and even a little movement from outside my belly. I can't wait until the kids can feel her moving. I still can't believe it's a girl. I just didn't see us having another girl! I'm still going to crossfit and hope to continue as long as I can. This summer has been so relaxing. I'm trying not to count down days back to work. Do. Not. Do. It.!!! 

We had our anatomy ultrasound, chromosome testing, genetic testing, and on and on & all seems good so far for a healthy little bossy bundle ! Due date is November 24. She'll be here before we know it!

Baylor Update from Bone marrow Biopsy

Baylor's doctor called today with results of his most recent bone marrow biopsy. His bones are basically empty of bone marrow, for lack of a better medical way to say it, but they have been that way for quite some time now. Good news is there was no significant change and things are stable. 

I wish I could give his doctor the proper amount of credit she deserves, but I don't know how. Her name is Dr.Alison Bertuch and she is with the hematology team at Texas Children's Hospital. She is always one step ahead of me. If she doesn't hear from us in a while, she calls. She gives me her direct lines and gives me access to all sorts of things I didn't know existed. She got us into a program that banks cord blood for free when I was pregnant with Adeline & I had just been thinking about cord blood banking for the new baby today. When Dr. Bertuch called, she already had the information ready for me and asked if I had considered banking blood from the new baby! She was ready to send my name and information to the contact person at the blood bank. She just needed my approval. She's amazing. 

It's such a blessing in such a hard area of our life that we have someone that I trust to care for Baylor and give me the correct information and guidance I need to make decisions about his health.  

July 4th Fun with the Janese's

Adam's brother John, Laura, & the kids came to spend a few days this summer for July 4th.  It was lots of fun and the cousins had a blast.

 As sweet as they'll ever get!

Adeline, Katherine, Collin, and Baylor

WOD Wars

Adam competed again today with our Crossfit Bay Area team at the WOD Wars in Humble. Everyone did so awesome & the girls brought home first place. Grandma Liz stayed overnight and kept the kids all day so we could go out and relax at the competition ....well, I relaxed! Great friends, great fun & a great Saturday.

Janese, Party of 5

Our family is growing! It has taken way too long to announce, but we are 18 weeks pregnant with a healthy baby girl! We weren't expecting a baby girl at all, but 50/50, right? We've been very impatiently waiting on genetic testing and other things of the sort before
announcing. Baylor and Adeline were so excited when we told them the news. Adeline very much wanted a baby girl and Baylor very much wanted a baby boy-go figure! Everything is going well, cross fitting as much as possible, eating as little junk as possible (inside my head), and swimming and relaxing this summer. Baby Girl is due November 24.

Baylor's Latest Anesthesia

Baylor's tolerance of anesthesia is getting better, which makes for less humorous stories afterwards. On the bright side, he now truly acts silly, yet still very loud,  instead of cursing at us and the other people in the room! Today Adam reported that when he walked back to the recovery room with the male, Arabic (we think) nurse, Baylor immediately said to the nurse "hey Daryl, I remember you from New York!" Number one, I highly doubt this man's name was anything we could pronounce correctly, much less Daryl! Number two, Baylor has never been anywhere near New York.
Then he proceeded to wave his hands in the air singing "nah, nah, nah, nah hey hey hey, goodbye" and " shine bright like a diamond". And, he announced to the recovery room that he loves the singer Pit Bull! All of this was mixed in with various, very loud math lessons and a lesson about the Revolutionary War (in total, they were back there about 45 min). Adam said his 5th grade teachers would've been proud, and all of the nurses and other recovery room families were quite amused.

On a more serious note, some aspects of his bloodwork had gone down (platelets), but other parts had come up and were looking better. This is typical for him-his bloodwork is usually all over the place. We won't know results from the bone marrow biopsy for about a week. Continuous prayers please!

5th Grade Graduation

Baylor is moving on! Elementary school is finished.  I don't know how this is possible considering Adam and I are extremely young to have a child this old!  He is full of confidence and so ready to go to 6th grade.  I wish I had similar feelings.  I'm scared to death and want him to stay little.  So long elementary school....

 5th grade awards

 Baylor's 5th grade teachers, Ms. Young and Miss Elstad

Last day of school...wahoo!

Spring Dance Recital

Adeline's dance teacher, Miss Hip Hop!

Adeline got to do jazz and tap for the second half of this year.  Can you say cute? She loved it, but wants to try gymnastics this summer!

Baylor Approved Paleo Muffins

I must tell you, I shy away from Paleo treats unless someone else made them first & I get to taste.  Mainly because most of them taste like crap, and if I want a treat, well, it's because I want something that taste yummy!  Someone at the gym made these and they were delish!  I made them at home and Baylor loved them.  We've made with blueberries and with dark chocolate chips. And believe me when I say if they are Baylor approved, you must trust!  :) 

They are from one of my favorite blogs, PaleOMG.  

Simple Blueberry Muffins

Prep time:  5 mins

Cook time:  20 mins

Total time:  25 mins

Serves: 8-10

 

Ingredients

• 1 cup almond butter
• 1 cup almond meal/almond flour
• 3 eggs, whisked
• ½ cup raw honey
• ⅓ cup Unsweetended Shredded Coconut ( I did not use the coconut)
• ⅓ cup  Coconut Oil, melted
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• pinch of cinnamon
• ½ cup fresh blueberries

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. If you’re good at baking, you’ll know to mix the dry then the wet ingredients then mix together, but I do all the ingredients together and it works out just fine.
3. Place ingredients into 8-10 silicone muffin cups in a muffin tin. Or you can use muffin tin paper liners.
4. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Just keep an eye on it, they will puff up and look adorable.
5. Eat them and be happy. And be merry.

Here's the direct link if you'd like. http://paleomg.com/simple-blueberry-muffins/

I'm Not Your Best Friend Anymore

This has been a familiar Adeline quote in our house the past couple of months.  If you do anything not to her liking, she's not your best friend anymore!  Well the other day at the dinner table, someone told her no (actually, I don't remember EXACTLY what was said, but I would presume it had something to do with being told no). She proceeded to get up from the dinner table, arms crossed, sat herself against the wall and said with the greatest of conviction, "I'm not your family anymore!"  Which caused everyone to roar with laughter.  I love to have a place to document these little moments :)

Easter at Meme & Pawpaw's 2013

We had a great family Easter at Meme's, complete with baseball, sack races, and an egg race.  I believe Theresa and Diana were to thank for the kid games?? !  It's a miracle almost every single person was there, and do you think we thought to take a photo?  Nope, of course we didn't .  Here are a few, though. Thanks Theresa!

Strawberry Picking and Spring Break

Well, my spring break was spent painting....a good, full 3 days.  Our entire house, downstairs and up, is going from blue to brown, latte to be exact.  Updates to come.
We went strawberry picking one day out at Froberg's Farm with the Graves family. It was our first time and lots of fun.  Then we were eating strawberry for a week after until we were sick!  And sharing them, of course!

Crossfit Update March

The 2013 Crossfit Open is upon us!  Which basically means that anyone can sign up, track your progress online, and see how you are ranked world wide in specific workouts.  I'm too chicken, still, to sign up for things like this (maybe next year), but Adam was all for it.  The best of the best end up in the Reebok Crossfit Games.  Of course, that's not us, but it is neat to see where you fall and prove to yourself that you can do it. 
So, on Thursday nights & Saturday mornings for 5 weeks, we've been going up to the gym to watch Adam & cheer all of the people on that are signed up.  It's been really neat.  I love to see our crossfit friends come together as a family and encourage each other! I'm so thankful for this life we have now, and for our crossfit friends at Crossfit Bay Area, and for the decisions we've made as a family to be healthy!

Watching daddy crossfit!

First Staples

Well, Adeline got her first staples in her head! She fell at school and hit a door.  We were honestly surprised it took this long.  She was a real trooper. She didn't even cry at the staples, but did take a look at the little staple gun after staple number 2 and said, "Do not put that thing on my head again!" To which, of course, the doctor didn't listen so she got mad and started to cry a little bit.  I wish I had a picture to share, but we forgot to snag one.  You'll have to use your imagination.

The Janese's Have Moved

We have officially moved into our new home in Seabrook.  Adeline took visitors on tours of our new house all weekend, showing all rooms, closets, cabinets, the pool, the fish,etc! She's becoming a pro. Baylor has been riding his bike down the street to his friend Trenten's house. We live right around the corner from the Graves family! Everyone in the cul-de-sac is so nice & all of the pets (dogs) run around loose on the street and visit everyone.  We sat out in the front yard and gave the community dogs some doggy treats!  We are in heaven.  It's perfect, but I will still be changing things to make it our's. 
I think Adam said it best when he said after the first week here when our kids played in the neighborhood every evening, "Nicole, we didn't know what they were missing at our other house."

The light blue will be changed over spring break!

 Feeding the fish in the pond!

This wooden railing will soon be black!

It's Time to Pack

We are slowing packing up to move the new house. The kids are so excited! Adeline wanted to pack her clothes and I told her not to because that would be the last thing. Well, she did it anyway and then had the task of putting everything back in the drawers. When she finally came back in the kitchen, I asked her if she put all the clothes back in the drawers, and she says, ever so sure of herself, "mom I had to put all those clothes back that Diego & Alicia packed in the box (her imaginary friends). They didn't listen!" How can you not laugh at that? The clothes did get put back, though!

New Year, New You?

It's a new year, and for most everyone I know, that means new goals.  Make this your year.  Eat better, take care of yourself, and get moving.  I would love to preach.  I would love to shout it at you.  I would love to live at the homes of my loved ones and just force feed you, but I can't! So, I ask you to do one thing...learn about what you're doing, read about what you're eating, look up some words in the ingredients.  Try! Commit!  Feel good!  Then, when you feel better, do Crossfit!  Happy New Year's my loved ones and friends!
Go check this out.... Whole9

Crossfit Month 8!  Do I really need to give you an update? Do I need to give more praise to crossfit than I do on a daily basis?  Scratch that....more praise than ADAM gives it on a daily basis! We absolutely love our crossfit community at Crossfit Bay Area, and we love this new life.

I will make it to the top of that damn rope!

Happy Birthday Adam!

How can I let the month go by without mentioning this? Happy Birthday to the most fantastic guy.  Oh, I'm married to a great person, too, you say?  Well, really guys, I know in this age of Facebook , everyone is all about their spouses in their posts "My husband is great", "I love my spouse!", "Look at these fabulous flowers I got from my husband for no reason other than I'm awesome", blah, blah.  But, seriously, Adam Janese, you are the greatest man I could ask for.  There is never a dull moment in our house or our life.  You are fair and kind to everyone. You are a great son & husband, and, of course, the most fantastic dad.  People expect great things out of you, and you never let them down! Our life together grows & gets better every year, and I don't think everyone can say that. You make me laugh, you make me happy, and you make me better. Happy, happy birthday!

Oh, and in addition to a super, fun night of listening to Spazmatics, we were joined by lots of great, new friends for Adam's birthday this year.  Love our Crossfit family!

Delicious Recipe of The Moment: Zucchini Enchilada Boats

Excellent reviews from everyone!  The first time I made it, it seemed a bit tedious, but now I make it often & I double the recipe!  Love!  And all Paleo if you leave off the cheese on top!


This recipe came from Skinny Taste.  Click on the link below for complete recipe & all instructions.
Skinnytaste Zucchini Enchiladas

**Note: I don't follow recipes, usually.  I did omit the chipotle peppers in adobe sauce because they are too hot for my kids & not one of my pantry staples. I also use onions instead of green onions & use regular chili powder instead of chipotle chili powder.

Baylor Update

Baylor is healthy and strong (and stubborn, hard-headed & typical 5th grade boy, but that's another story).  He is no longer producing new bone marrow, but we have no big changes in his health.  His doctor monitors him constantly & we continue with blood and bone marrow testing every 2-3 months to catch anything as soon as possible.  We did start seeing a new ear, nose & throat specialist that will begin monitoring Baylor's mouth & throat. Fanconi's Anemia is commonly linked to mouth and throat cancers.  It's inevitable that a bone marrow transplant is in his future, but that, too, will be taken day by day.  I will continue to update with news!
On a more positive note, Baylor's birthday is this month.  He will be 11!  We are into another decade. Can you believe it?  We are blessed as parents & blessed with family.  Love to all who keep Baylor in your prayers and love him!