it's a start

Luke has had an amazing journey the past couple years.  He has lost over 150 pounds, gained respect and confidence.  At times, I have felt left behind.  I allowed my heart to become bitter and angry.  I made excuses and believed lies that I couldn't do the same because of circumstance.  The truth is I can do anything I want to do with God by my side. Luke and I just have to be on the same team and make these goals work for our family.  Luke joined Crossfit Believe in December.  I was leery.  My husband seemed to love spending time with these people that I did not know.  But I knew people who knew them and begged for answers to why he was so obsessed.  I began to believe lies about these people.  I believed things that now seem so ridiculous.  That is the power of your own mind.  If you believe something long enough or with enough determination you will believe it no matter what is logical.
St Patty's weekend of this year changed my life.  I hit rock bottom HARD.  I don't blame anyone but myself for the decisions I made leading up to that weekend but I am so thankful for everything that transpired.  I felt like I needed a detox.  I started drinking water. TONS of water.  I started eating real foods.  Filling up on good quality meats, veggies, seeds, nuts, fruits.  I was feeling better, sleeping better and having less panic attacks.
April 2nd I started the "on ramp" classes at Crossfit Believe.  One by one, I started meeting people involved with crossfit.  I dropped all my preconceived judgements and got to know them for who they are.  They are all amazing, encouraging and incredibly sincere.  They provide the sense of community and accountability I have been missing from "home".  (we relocated last summer) It's only been a week but I believe in crossfit because after eating better for a few weeks and doing 3 crossfit workouts, I have lost 9 lbs and I can wear my jeans that wouldn't button on St Patty's Day!  I am so excited to continue with this journey.  I am proud of the team Luke and I are becoming.  Its a whole new level.

Matthew 19:26 

Jesus looked at them and said,

 "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

Sleep Deprivation

My life has suddenly become very simple.  Less dramatic, more loving.  They say everything can change in a split second and it's so very true.  I wrote about Talia's sleep issues back in January.  We were fully expecting to wait until May 2012 to get her into Children's Mercy's Sleep Lab, so we were shocked and excited when they called me on a Thursday afternoon.  The tech gave me 5 days notice that Talia's sleep study was being moved up to March 5th, 2012.  This was wonderful news.  It was also stressful news.  Something I had thought would be in a few months was now five days away and I hadn't really thought about the actual procedure, done any research or figured out what to do with my other kids.  Thank God they gave me five days.
Polysomnography [sleep study] is used to diagnose, or rule out, many types of sleep disorders including narcolepsy, periodic limb movement disorder(PLMD), REM behavior disorder, parasomnias, and sleep apnea. It is often ordered for patients with complaints of daytime fatigue or sleepiness that may be caused by interrupted sleep. 

Talia was very excited to visit the hospital for a sleep over with mom.  The other worrisome details worked themselves out nicely as well. We packed her zebra blankie and pillow pet, checked in at Children's Mercy South and were escorted to the secure sleep lab floor.  We met a sleep lab tech named, Richard.  He was so nice and very calming.  He showed us to our room which included a full size sleep lab bed, a nice bathroom, a dinky parent bed, a rocking chair and a kitchenette.

Talia's big bed

head wrap to hold wires in place

First wire

We arrived right around Natalia's normal bedtime.  She had already eaten and had a bath.  She picked out a Tinkerbell movie and Richard got started with the wiring.  She had multiple sensors on each limb and 12-15 on her head.  The process to get her all ready for bed was long and tedious but she was a trooper and didn't even complain until the nose piece was placed on. Natalia was ready for bed.  We laid her down, read a book, sang a song, said prayers and shut off the light.  I laid on my bed and read by cell phone light while I waited for her to drift off to sleep.  Once she was asleep, it was like any other night.  She had been waking for a few hours each night and without fail she continued her sleep habits for the tech.  I was so glad because I was slightly worried we'd have a situation where she slept perfectly fine for them but continued to wake at home.

We had an eventful night but the nurses were there putting her back to bed for me so I slept the best I had in months.  It was almost a vacation!  In the morning, Richard came in and woke us up.  He took off all her wires and let me bathe her. (FYI: if you do a sleep study, PACK SHAMPOO!!! Theirs is awful!) Once we were dressed for the day, Richard let Talia pick a toy out of the treasure chest.  She chose a barbie lunch box tin with collector cards inside.  She still talks about Richard and how nice he was.  We had the best experience with her sleep study!

We were expecting to wait 5 weeks for the results, but thankfully, we heard back this week!  According to the sleep study results, Natalia took 35 minutes to fall asleep, was fully awake from 3:15-5:30am and was only fully asleep for 117 minutes over the 10 hours she was suppose to be sleeping.  The good news is she has no sleep apnea, breathing or heart issues!  The official diagnosis is Sleep Deprivation, Restless Leg Syndrome and Periodic Limb Movement Disorder.  Her Iron and Ferritin levels were extremely low which means her body doesn't produce Dopamine.  So, phase one of treatment is finding a good level of iron and ferritin through supplement without adding to her bowel issues, so that her body can begin producing dopamine.  Phase two is peppermint/lavender oil massages on legs and hands prior to bedtime.  This will help calm and soothe the limbs and help provide good circulation conducive to restful sleep. Finally, phase three is diet. Natalia is not allowed caffeine in any form including coffee, tea, soda, and cocoa.  She is also restricted on her dairy intake due to her supplements.

I am so very thankful for diagnosis and a plan to move forward. In a split second, we went from not knowing how to deal with this situation to a clear plan of attack.  I am so sad about eliminating cocoa; she sure does love her powerberries and nutella but we will do whatever it takes to give her the best life she can have.   It could take 6-8 weeks to see results from our treatment plan.  Pray for us and her that we can return to a well-rested lifestyle!

Faux Pottery Barn Bunk Bed tutorial

My kids are growing up so fast these days.  It seems like just yesterday we had two cribs in one room and then all of a sudden we found ourselves bunk bed shopping. It's crazy.  I fell in love with a pottery barn kids bunk bed. The nearly $1300 price was out of the question for our family.  Quite frankly, that is our mortgage payment for not one but two months.  I had to get creative.  I searched Craigslist,  Facebook and online stores for a durable, solid wood, good quality bunk bed.  Everything I found was too expensive, not sturdy enough or already sold.

 Then I got a message from a wonderful lady on FB; she had a bunk bed and had not even considered selling it until she saw my post!  Luke and I drove over and got it from them for $150.  It was exactly what I had been looking for.  I was so excited.  It was wood, sturdy, and in great shape!

Bottom bunk before

I was nervous about refinishing the beds but my friend gave me a ton of encouragement and advice.  The Monday after we bought the beds was a snow day, so me and the three kids trekked off to Lowe's in the "blizzard" to purchase sanding and painting supplies.  I picked out Valspar's Semi-Gloss Hi Def paint in Dove White (which was very similar to PBK's Rustic Sun Valley White).  I bought the Lowe's brand clear coat, medium sand paper, Elmer's wood filler, wood glue,and a nice paint brush. ($60)  

I had to buy a few extra things because as Luke and I were moving the beds into the room, I fell and snapped one of the headboard's rails.  I was so mad but it was a very easy fix and you can't even tell now that it has been glued, filled and painted.

Top Bunk sanded on left side and foot board

Step One: SANDING 

I loathe sanding.  I spent 2 hours sanding one of the headboards by hand and then my husband came to the rescue with his parent's electric sander.  Each bed took about 30 minutes with the sander.  I did not sand all of the stain off but I did make sure it removed all of the clear coat.  

Step Two: WOOD FILLING

filled in knots of ladder and rail

After I finished sanding, I used the wood filler to fill in the deep scratches, wood knots, and chips in the wood.  Since I used paint and not stain, it worked perfectly.  I am not sure how it would look with a tinted stain.

Step Three: PAINTING

 

 

Ladder and Rails 2nd coat

bottom bunk 2nd coat

top bunk 1st coat

Talk about tedious.  Painting sanded wood is crazy.  Some spots soak up all the paint, some spots drip and run.  It's a messy process.  Once I got in my groove (and my parents took the kids for an impromptu sleep over) I knocked it out quickly.  I did two full coats of paint (Valspar is primer/paint in one).  I also had to do some touch ups of a third coat.

Step Four:  Clear Coat

Shiny Clear Coat

My best advice- OPEN THE WINDOWS! Holy cow! I am very glad my kids were at my parents.  I am pretty sure I wasted a few brain cells while coating these beds!  I bought the inexpensive clear coat and had no problems at all.  It dried in 30 minutes, only needed one coat and left no discoloration of the paint.

Top Bunk with 2nd coat, Bottom bunk untouched

Finished Bunk Bed

bedding custom made by Shiloh Mae Custom Sewn Accessories

Cost Break down:

Used Bunkbed $150

Paint, clear coat, supplies, etc $60

MDF & misc bolts $60

 (to make slats for the beds because we decided to go with regular mattresses instead of bunk bed mattresses)

2 New twin mattresses $130

(GREAT SALE at NFM.com)

Project Cost: $400   compared at retail of Pottery Barn bed: $1,299

(Will update photo when we get the ladder and rail installed)