Valentine's Day

I'm not a great lover of Valentine's Day, but this year we decided to have some fun celebrating it. Rob had already surprised me with a dozen roses the day before. I left him a card in the bathroom when he came home from work :)

But the funniest thing we did was go on a date. Funny, because of how we told the kids about it. I had told them a few days prior that they would be getting a Valentine's gift, but they only got to play with it for a little while. They drove themselves crazy trying to figure out what it was and had all kinds of crazy guesses. They had already received little treats from different relatives and enjoyed each card, but Mom and Dad's gift was just driving them nuts!

On the morning of Valentine's, they came downstairs to find a hand-stamped candy bar holder for each of them, complete with candy bar. But that wasn't the gift. Rob woke up around 11:15 and took them out for a Daddy-surprise: lunch from Taco Bell. Mommy left at the same time to pick up the "toy," which turned out to be their favorite babysitter (who happens to be homeschooled, thankfully!)

Emilie and I got back before the kids and Rob, so when they came in, they were very shocked! They also declared she was much more fun than a puppy, which was their last guess. Rob and I were barely missed as we backed out the door and went on our date. We had a wonderful time eating at our new favorite restaurant and shopping for new clothes.

So not a bad Valentine's Day for a Valentine's hater!

Fibro update: Week 2-4

I have learned a lesson this week: Don't cheat on the diet. I've taken small bites here and there of things, but in honor of Valentine's day, I cheated and ate some chocolate. And then I took it a little further and had some cookies with the kids on Friday. BIG mistake! I started feeling fatigued all over my body again. I think it was good for me to cheat, however, since I can now really tell what's hurting me. And I know that I have to keep all of that stuff out of the house or I'll eat it. (We were trying out the WhoNu? brand of cookies--which taste pretty good!)

Otherwise, things are still going well. I've had more energy this week and have started craving the things that are good for me. Dr. W said that would happen. Last night Rob wanted ice cream and asked me what I wanted. After thinking through my options, good and bad, I settled on a smoothie. And that's genuinely what I wanted! I have never liked fruit (in my adult life) but now I'm craving it more and more. I even had a supper Friday night of nothing but an all-fruit smoothie and raw veggies. And I was satisfied!

My doc also asked me to record a little video of my progress thus far and he is planning to use it in his upcoming fibro seminar. I'm also going to write up a testimonial for his website.

I think I'm finally ready to take back a few of the household chores from Rob. This week I'm going to try doing the dishes. And I'm starting to care more about how the house looks, so we're going to systematically work room by room and straighten as well as decorate. I'm tired of the empty walls!

Fibro update, weeks 2-2 and 2-3

The above photo is a pile of clothing that Rob and I can no longer wear. We went through our closet and tried on everything. Rob has slimmed out of all of his pants, suits, dress shirts, and most of his polos. He's currently out shopping for a thing or two to wear to church tonight! We're planning to get him new suits once he stops losing weight and are going to Kohl's on Wed with our 30% off coupon to replace some of his other items. He figures that since moving from Cali, he has lost 40 lbs. I have never seen him this slim, and it's all due to our change in diet. He has been avoiding most of the same things as me, but mainly the gluten. As an interesting side note, he is no longer lactose intolerant! He plans to ask the doc about that one, but we're wondering if a gluten intolerance was masquerading as a lactose intolerance. Can't wait to hear the answer!

I have lost 16 lbs so far and am losing at a much slower rate than Rob. That's partly due to the fact that I am not allowed to exercise yet. We are still working on breaking down the bad stuff in my body. But I have lost enough weight to drop two sizes. I'm doing a little better than Rob in the clothing department, but I also need a shopping trip this week.

I have been feeling quite a bit better and the only real noticeable pain left is in my arms. I finished round one of the cleanse I was doing...thankfully!! That powder tasted just plain awful and made me feel sick all morning long. Round two is only 21 days and the powder smells and tastes like vanilla, which is a huge improvement! It also doesn't make me the least bit sick. After this round, I will take a pill that will rid me of the bacteria. Oh, and on this round I can have all fruits and veggies back along with nuts, so I don't have to be quite so careful. It looks like I can have quinoa and a few other alternate grains, but I'm going to double check with the doc before I eat them.

During therapy, I have been doing a few extra things. One is a wobble board, which is kind of fun, and I have been able to tackle the hand-bike much more easily than ever. I did it for ten minutes this week. When I first started, I couldn't even handle one minute!

So things are going much better. I'm so thankful I have stuck it out and am excited to see where I'm at in another month or two.