Lauren Jolie is 9 months old

Here are a few pictures I took last week of Lauren playing in the floor and a few after church on Sunday. She is so sweet and SUCH a girl. She loves to squeak and squeal already!! I just love it. She still loves to sit and play in the floor, however, her newest desire is to stand....well, not just stand, but jump. I have to hold onto her of course, but she will jump and jump forever! She is still not crawling, but she has shown some interest in rocking forward to her hands, but then goes right back to her bum. But she can scoot around on her bum a bit to get where she wants to go. And if she does happen to flop onto her belly she can scoot a little on it as well. She loves to say "Mamamama" but she also says "Dadada" and "Bububub".

Isaac and Eric are still just so in love with her...they love having a baby sister...it's so sweet.

The Attack of the H1N1

Our last day visiting St. Louis, Scott and Eric started feeling sick and by the time we all got home the next day, they were both feeling pretty bad. Poor little Eric had a fever of 103, a cough, and was completely out of it...no appetite and just didn't want to move. Scott had a cough, congestion, sore throat, and body aches.


Thankfully, Mom had already planned to be at our house the same day got home from St. Louis....and boy did we need her!! The kiddos and I had planned to travel back with her two days later to Kentucky for a visit. Little did Mom know, she was going to be taking care of 5 sick Smiths.


The next day, Isaac started with the cough, fever, and body aches AND Scott started to have a fever as well. By this time we were pretty sure the Swine Flu had invaded.


Since Isaac has been so healthy for several months, we decided to treat him, Eric, and Scott at home with Tylenol (if his fever was over 102), peppermint oil, thieve's oil, peppermint tea, water, and lots of rest.


By the 2nd day home, Lauren and I started to develop the same symptoms. It came on so hard and so fast. Since Lauren is so young (almost 9 months) and I have asthma and chronic bronchitis, I decided the two of us needed to visit the doctor. We did, and were both given Tamiflu. I didn't know that it was a drug to be taken twice a day for 5 days...for some reason I thought it was just one dose. I also didn't know it was not approved for use of children under the age of 12. I also didn't know it is a drug to treat the BIRD FLU....NOT H1N1. I also didn't know it had some pretty bad side effects (digestive problems, aggression, insomnia). So, even though I had major trepidation about taking the drug and administering it to Lauren, I did anyway....hoping it would keep us safe....cure the flu....keep us out of the hospital....keep us alive.


So, Lauren and I started taking the Tamiflu, while Scott, Isaac, and Eric fought the flu....."on their own".


About a month before getting sick our nutritional counselor and naturapathic doctor (in training) asked me if I was worried about the H1N1. I told her, "No, not at all." She also asked me if I was scared of it in any way...I also told her, "No." Being a person who tries not to live her life in fear, but instead puts her trust in God, I try not to be in fear of anything....let alone a flu. I have also never liked to watch the news for that same reason.....because I have always thought it is "fear based". Including what the media has done with the H1N1....promote and provoke fear about the flu!! Yes, it can been a good source of information, but in my opinion, it has provoked fear and panic more than anything else.

After 2 doses of the drug, Lauren started experiencing some side effects (restlessness, aggression, and fussiness). Because I was hesitant to start the drug in the first place, I decided to discontinue the drug for Lauren and myself. And if I had to do it all over again...I would have NEVER taken the drug to begin with!! When I did stop the Tamiflu, neither of us had a fever and both our coughs had lessened. Lauren was completely back to herself by the end of the day. I had a slight fever the day I stopped taking the drug, but was feeling much better and continued too each day. I still have a slight cough, but nothing major.

After 2 days of the mildest symptoms of our family, Isaac was back to his active, healthy, happy self! WOW!! God is so great! What a testimony to how healthy Isaac is and the healing that has taken place in his body through naturopathic treatment.

Eric and Scott had the strongest symptoms and were sick the longest. Eric even had a fever off and on for 5 days. Now I'm not trying to point fingers, but they don't eat nearly as many vegetables as Isaac and I, Scott does not take vitamins on a regular basis, and I have not been giving Eric as many vitamins, herbs, and supplements as Isaac....but that has changed.

So, what I have learned from the experience is....

1. Don't be afraid of H1N1...it is just the flu. It will pass. Just take care of yourself and get the rest your body needs to fight the virus. It was no joke and we all felt pretty bad, but we are fine now.

2. Do some research. Before rushing out to get the H1N1 vaccine OR the Tamiflu, make sure you know what is in the drug and why you "need" it.

3. After praying and seeking for God's peace, make a decision about what you plan to do if you get the Swine Flu BEFORE you get sick. As I found out the hard way, I had not made a decision about what I would/should do for myself (asthma and bronchitis) and Lauren (9 months) and Isaac (in remission from Crohn's disease) BEFORE it attacked our family. When you are sick with anything, let alone the Swine Flu, you are in no position to make a sound decision about what your plan is or should be.

4. Stick to your plan and don't give into fear. Instead trust that you are doing the right thing...even if other's may think or tell you that you are not.

5. The best medicine is prevention. SO, eating right, exercise, vitamins, herbs, and essential oils should be a part of your daily routine.

6. We are so thankful and in awe at God's healing power that is so evident in Isaac's life!! He is walking proof of God's natural medicine that Megan has opened our eyes too!

Please check out my friend's blog www.megansmind-holisticwellness.blogspot.com for more information about the H1N1 and many naturopathic treatments for the flu and colds.

St. Louis Ocotber 2009

Scott's Mom (Tamya) holding Lauren and Zianna (our niece)

Eating our lunch at the St. Louis Zoo.

Left to Right: LaDonna(niece), Nataya (sister), Zianna(niece),

Trisha(niece), William(Dad), Tamya(Mom)

Scott's Brother (Thaddeus) & Our nephew (Zephaniah)

Scott's friend (Christian) who we stayed with while in St. Louis.

Scott and Eric (acting silly) and LaDonna

Our nephew (Taylor) and niece (LaDonna) checking out the elephants.

Scott and Eric in the background checking out Eric's leaf.
I love this picture. If you look closely, you can see William, Scott, and Eric's profiles. So cool!!

Isaac in awe at the elephants!!

Christian holding his son Roman.

Lauren hanging out in her stroller.

Scott and Eric on the path at the zoo.

We had a wonderful trip to St. Louis to visit Scott's family!!! We left on Thursday morning the 22nd....VERY early (Scott and I got up at 3:30 am).....and got back Monday morning the 26th. This was Tamya and William's first time meeting Eric and Lauren, and only their second time meeting Isaac. Needless to say, they were thrilled to see them and be able to spend some time together!!

We stayed with one of Scott's former roommate's from here in VA...Christian...and his wife Nichole and their 2 year old son Roman....oh yeah, and their dog Trinkette....who was LOVED by Isaac, Eric, and Lauren! All three of them had a blast playing with the dog and I think Trinkette enjoyed the extra play time as well.

As you can see, we all had a great time at the St. Louis Zoo. It was a bit chilly that day, but with the sun peaking out from time to time, it was just right! We got to see some hipos, rhinos, peacocks, elephants, chimps, orangutans, AND.....the animal we have been talking about seeing for MONTHS.....GORILLAS!! It was great! When we got to the zoo, there were thousands of little one's there in their costumes. It was Halloween Day at the zoo and there were lots of other things going on. So, we got more than we even bargained for!! It was lots of fun.

We made alot of great memories while visiting St. Louis.....however, the last day there, Scott and Eric got sick. By the time we got home on Monday morning they were both feeling pretty bad.

Gluten Free, Dairy Free & Sugar Free Pumpkin Cupcakes

I found a recipe for gluten free pumpkin cupcakes, and I altered it to make it dairy free and sugar free as well. I made these for the costume and pumpkin party I had for the kids last week. Everyone just loved them, so I thought I would post the recipe : )

Ingredients:
1 stick (1/2 cup) room temp. butter (I used a Spectrum Spread which is dairy free)
1/2 cup brown rice syrup
1/3 cup agave nectar
1/4 cup honey
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup pumpkin purée
3/4 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup vanilla rice milk

Frosting:
For the frosting I used Ricemellow Creme by Suzanne's Specialties. It is just like marshmallow creme, but made with brown rice syrup...and SO yummy!

Method:
Cupcakes
1 Preheat oven to 350°F, and place rack in the center of the oven.
2 Using an electric mixer, cream the butter, rice syrup, agave nectar, and honey for about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the pumpkin purée and vanilla and beat until incorporated.
3 In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices. Add the flour mixture, rice milk, and pumpkin batter and mix.
4 Set paper cupcake holders in a muffin tin. Spoon the batter into the cupcake paper cups, about 3/4th full. Bake approximately 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting.

Made 20 cupcakes for me.

Costume & Pumpkin Party

Outside on the Treasure Hunt....they were looking for little balls.

Pumpkin Decorating. They all worked so hard and so long on their pumpkins.

I think this is the 4th costume and pumpkin party!! I just love having parties...especially for the kids!! They all seem to have so much fun...so it's worth all the work. Last year, I had the party when Mom was in town. It was so nice to have her there to help me get ready for the party...and it was fun for her to get to see Eric and Isaac enjoy themselves. So, I decided to have the party while she was here last week. BOY...did I need her!! I think we had more people here this year than ever. 10 adults and 14 children!!

Pumpkin Patch with Grammy

Mom left today after visiting for the last 10 days. We had such a great time together!! At the last minute, I decided to have my annual costume and pumpkin party for the kids while she was here, since she may not get back before the end of the month. So, we visited the pumpkin patch to pick out some pumpkins for the party. When we got there, I told the boys, "If you can pick it up, you can bring it home." So, Isaac went for a pretty big one...and he was able to carry it to the wagon. Then Eric picked up a smaller one...and acted like he could hardly carry it : ) but managed to get it in the wagon too. They had a blast pulling their wagons around. It was a beautiful morning to be out pickin' our pumpkins. I just love this time of year!

The Things They Say

I just love having two little people in the house who can talk to me and each other! Sometimes the things they say just cracks me up! AND sometimes the things they say makes me want to pull my hair out. AND other times it brings me to tears. Here are some of the good one's in the last couple of weeks:

Last week, I was having a difficult day and Isaac could tell. He put his hand on my arm and said, "It's ok Mommy. Take a deep breath and you will feel better."

My Mom is visiting right now and this morning while I was ironing some clothes for church, she and Isaac were sitting at the table eating cereal for breakfast. I could hear them chatting back and forth and Isaac says, "Grammy we are best friends. You are my best friend."

We have a couple of floor pillows in the living room and Eric loves to jump off of them onto the floor. Today, Eric and Isaac were in the living room together watching a show before nap time. I could hear Eric saying, "Isaac! Isaac! Isaac!" So I peaked around the corner and Isaac finally says, "Yes Eric." And Eric says, "Watch Isaac!!" So, Eric jumps off the pillow onto the floor....and Isaac says, "Good job Eric!" Eric kept hollering for Isaac to "watch" for the next 10 minutes. Eric wouldn't jump till Isaac would acknowledge him and watch!! Maybe he will get an idea of how I feel everyday :)

Last night we went to eat at our favorite Thai place. After dinner, we walked around outside on the sidewalk. There were some pretty flowers in these huge pots along the sidewalk. Eric and Isaac were both smelling them and saying how good they smelled. At the end of the sidewalk is a coffee shop. Isaac leaned down and smelled the flowers in front of the coffee shop and said, "These flowers smell like coffee!!!"

Eric has a new phrase for just about anything I ask of him or tell him...particularly when I'm telling him NOT too do something. He says, "Yes it is!" And he says it with such attitude! For example, I may ask him to get off the stairs and he will say, "Yes it is!" Or, I may ask him to stop throwing a toy and he will say, "Yes it is!" It's amazing how they start to develop this "confidence" at the age of 2!!! What is that???

And of course, the one I shared last week about Isaac smelling Lauren's poo-poo and it killing his brain.