11 Months Keto, today I QUIT

I have been dabbling with the idea of quitting keto since Ester was born. It is tiresome to be on intense diets for long periods of time; pregnancy is one thing but after she is here there is really no reason to continue. My diabetes is usually fine when I am not pregnant. And, I did it. I had a regular sized baby and near-perfect blood sugar throughout my entire pregnancy. It is a huge relief and such a blessing, I am so grateful for the keto diet. 

But I want to eat some bread. Please and thank you. Not to mention other things. I miss beans. I want a raw milk smoothie. I would like to expand my pallet. I will be making chicken enchilada casserole next week and I may even try rice again! Today I had sourdough bread, (2 slices with a lot of butter) chicken, a fermented pickle, cheese and bell peppers for lunch. It was delicious. Two hours after my blood sugar was 111, which is a little higher than I would like (I'm a perfectionist what can I say.) But, from past keto experiences I know the first week I transition back to a 'normal' diet my sugars can be quite crazy. They usually level out to 90-100 after the first week. 

I also have to start exercising again and I went on a very short walk this morning. Will need to move more daily. And I will be testing for a while with finger pokes to make sure my blood sugar stays out of the diabetic range. I am a little worried about weight gain but trying to love my postpartum body as it is and focus on homeschooling my kids.

It will be nice to have some easy meals again. There are easy keto meals but I am tired of all of them! Hah!

around 150 oz? 

I was able to donate my extra milk this week!

Pumping is finally over. Esther is growing okay! I haven't pumped in two weeks now and honestly my mental health needed that break. Yesterday I was able to donate about 150 oz of milk to Trillium House and it feels great. I hope it helps another little baby grow too. It's my blood sweat and tears in those two bags. Seriously it is weird the levels of emotion I feel about my breast milk! 

Well, Ester is crying. No more writing for now...Hugs!

Reuben Turns 8

Reuben turned 8 on the same day Esther Rose turned 11 weeks. It has been a long 11 weeks and while some things are so much better, some things are worse. Such is life!

Esther is nursing exclusively now. However, she is still not gaining weight correctly so I may have to start pumping again. Since she isn't losing weight I am going to wait until her next doctors appointment to make a decision. Esther gained 4 oz in about a week and a half, which is a little under the 6oz that a baby, at minimum, is supposed to gain. But she isn't losing weight, she seems satisfied and happy with lots of wet diapers--so I am trying to trust the process. 

I am trying to brush my teeth every evening and shower at least every three days. Cooking is hit and miss. I am averaging two meals a day. Sometimes I crash on the weekends and I think my husband still isn't used to it: he seems confused to find himself cooking yet again. 

Also, in the last storm (Lynchburg had a bad thunderstorm that knocked out power and trees for a few days) our roof was damaged and we are suddenly hit with the need to...put on a new roof. I have known we needed one for a while now and we've been saving money and planning on doing it in 2-3 years, but now it needs to be done as soon as possible. I had to cancel my raw milk which made me really sad. As well as a lot of other things that we usually do as a family. We will need to compile somewhere from 10-20k for the work--at least, that was my husbands recommendation. We are going to try to do this in 6 months or less which is going to mean seriously cutting back on our budget. Our idea is to put up a metal roof, which is more expensive but lasts a lot longer. 

I had been also saving for some home improvements in our house (I want a new floor in our main area and a new kitchen) so maybe this will help with that. And I have been saving for a van since Esther was born. Putting three kids in the back seat of our car is a tight fit!

But I will miss my personal money most of all, and the occasional eating out is gone...I am not sure if the kids will get their music lessons this coming August either. It is only a season. And I definitely want our house to be fixed up! 

The books for Reuben's Year Three are arriving and he finishes up his end of the year testing (for the state) this week. I'm nervous to figure out how to homeschool with a baby but I am sure we will work something out, somehow! Becky starts Year One at Ambleside this January as well. We will be a living breathing moving homeschooling machine! 

I'm planning to start the first or second week of August. 

At 11 weeks, Esther is 10 pounds 11oz and fitting snuggly into newborn clothes and a little bit big in her 0-3 months. She is slightly bigger now than Reuben was at birth (he was 10.6 pounds) and is a dream baby  with her cute smiles and nightly cuddles. She is no where near close to sleeping through the night. And she likes to be held for naps! I'm going crazy but trying to find joy in the moments.