Summer nights and salmon

We were given some amazing copper river salmon from my sister a few weeks ago. It's filleted and packaged really nice. There's just something about salmon in the summer. Maybe it's that thousand year strong pull to start a fire in order to fry up a good sized king and share it with the people you love most. Or it could be from all those times I got the chance to eat fish with my grandpa during the summer months. It's not the cheap kind you buy from the store. Our salmon is fresh out of the river, as a matter of fact I like to taste that fresh from the river flavor. 

So that's why I was so happy to get salmon from my sister. When I put it in the freezer I imagined taking it out for me and Travis' anniversary or birthday or something. I didn't know when we were going to make one, there were about 4 nice cuts in there. Maybe use a few for a rainy day. 

It's funny because a few nights ago, and for no particular reason, when Travis called and asked what we were eating for dinner I was like, SALMON! and began scheming up a way to cook up this amazing meal for the both of us. I took baby and put him in a moby wrap because for some odd reason he seems to get fussy right when I get busy. I was looking through the internet and searched everywhere for a nice recipe. Not wanting to waste such delicious salmon I decided to go with a well known recipe. I had eaten it many times and it's basically fool proof. Freeda and AJ have amazing cooking skill and I decided to use their salmon recipe for this one.

Recipe by Freeda Felix (my sister).

You'll need a few salmon fillets
1/2 onion, sliced
1/2 lemon, sliced
rosemary
1/4 c. butter

Prepare your baking dish by laying down aluminum foil at the bottom of the pan. I didn't use enough so don't be cheap like me. Place your salmon fillet evenly over the bottom of the pan. Cut your butter into slices and place all across the pan. Use rosemary for seasoning, just a couple pinches of it is enough. Place your lemon slices on top of your salmon, they should be sliced very thing. Take your onion and put all around the top of the fish and don't be afraid to use any left over onion. Just sprinkle that over the top.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit 
Bake for about 24 minutes

While your salmon is cooking make your sides. I started my potatoes before the fish to make mashed potatoes and opened up a can of french green beans and seasoned both with garlic salt and butter.

Have fun eating your salmon...

Until next time.

He is here.

Declan Asher Gray was born June 14th, 2013 at 4:04 PM.

Before he came I had a plan. I felt like I would need this plan in order to have a natural healthy birth. I was eight months along and looking forward to the few weeks ahead so that I could attend classes and get ready for our new addition. Me and Travis were so excited.

I was swelling in my face, legs, and hands... I thought it was because of being pregnant since those are regular symptoms. I was eating healthy and cut out salt from my diet, but still I kept getting bigger. I mentioned my swelling at my OB appointments, but my tests kept coming back clear and I was healthy.

That was until I went to my OB appointment on June 12th, and they told me that I had a moderately severe case of  preeclampsia.

It's a condition that effects 1 out of 8 first time pregnancies and usually shows up around the very end of the last trimester. This illness effects your blood pressure, where your veins contract causing your blood to flow faster, rising higher and higher until it's not just preeclampsia but eclampsia. And once it is eclampsia, you can easily slip into a seizure or have a heart attack, very fatal. 

Leaving the OB appointment I was given  two jugs and a few bags of ice so that I could collect urine for some lab work. I was also placed on bed rest for the rest of my pregnancy. I just remember getting home on the 12th and laying down. I cried a few tears, then focused on getting my blood pressure down.

The next day Travis dropped off my test (urine) at the lab. He came home and I was laying down watching TV and crying. I just really wanted my first pregnancy to go the way I planned. I didn't know how ready I was and felt overwhelmed by everything the doctors were saying. I didn't want to go to the hospital just yet. I wanted to go in July, on baby's due date. 

And just as I was crying and thinking these thoughts, my midwife called. She said that I needed to go to the ER right then. My lab test came back and it was definite. It appeared I had a serious case of preeclampsia. The protein in my urine was at 5000 mg. That's an incredible amount since there's not supposed to be any protein in my urine, and they would have called me in if I only had 300 mg. She said the only cure is to go into labor and have the baby, which they wanted to get started on right away, she said that they were going to induce labor when I got there, and that this was the safest route for me and the baby. It was 5 PM.  So of course I start crying again. And Travis just held me and told me that I needed to do this for me and the baby to be okay. 

Travis told my mom the news and all I heard was her say "WHAAAAT?!!" and she started helping to pack baby's bag. I packed my bag and we headed out the door. Checking into the hospital they asked if I was experiencing contractions, I said no. And they let me go to the women's and delivery floor. I met the doctor there and he was ready to explain everything to me again, he told me that we were going to try to induce labor and that if the baby didn't like it, that we would resort to a c section. He let me know that they were going to prepare me for labor right then and hopefully we would have the baby around 10 o' clock the next evening. It was 8 PM when we started. After inserting a small pill next to my cervix I started feeling slight contractions. And they increased throughout the night. 

Late that night, during these contractions, I finally cried out to God. I asked him to be there. Just be there. I didn't know how things would turn out, and I asked for him to help me and baby get through it all. It was a simple prayer, and I meant every word.

Then suddenly my heart was still, and I could feel his words, when he spoke and said, "I'm here." And I just started crying, and thanking him. In all the pain he was there for me. When I wanted to stop everything and get back to a normal pregnancy, and cried over it again and again, he was there. And to hear him say it made it all the more real to me and I was finally able to rest.

At 9 AM the doctor woke me up. Him and my nurse were standing there to say good morning. And that it was time to check and see if we were ready. And I was ready. My cervix had reacted very well to the medication and was ready to start dilating (and in fact already started to). So they explained that they were going to break my water and that the contractions would get stronger from there, and hopefully we'll have the baby by 10 PM. From that time on, contractions started getting stronger just like they said. The nurse checked on me every hour. And by the afternoon I was experiencing long and heavy contractions. The doctor came along and said that I was doing very well, much better than planned. And it felt like forever but finally we were ready to have Declan at 4 PM. The doctor wasn't even ready. 

After waiting all day to finally have my baby, I got through everything with Travis' help. We were doing awesome, getting through all the pain. My mom was sitting there, encouraging me to take epidural, and I kept saying no. I said no all the way up to 5 cm and that's when I finally asked for it. At least I thought I was at 5 cm when I got the shot, in fact I was past 7 and pretty near 8 (I could have gone without it). Things went really fast after that. Right when the anesthesiologist left the nurse checked me again. They couldn't hear the baby's heart and it was kind of scary, so she wanted to put a monitor next to his head. And that's when we knew that it was time. She said I was at 10 cm and began encouraging me to push. At 4:04 PM Declan was born. He suprised all of us showing up a month early, and totally threw the birth plan out the window. He was 4 pounds 14 oz. and he came healthy and strong. It was a very emotional time.

I felt the Lord kept his promise. He was with us through it all. Baby didn't reject the labor. I didn't have a stroke. We didn't have to resort to a c section. We made it through. It was a very trying time because both of us were at high risk throughout the labor. 

I want to share this story because we all need God's help. Every day, we need him. And I hope you can call on him, just ask him to come. With all your heart, and I'm sure when your hard pressed it will be with your whole heart, ask for him. Compel him. Call for and press into the presence of God in your life, in your moment. He will come if you call on him with your whole heart. Your never alone really, but still, ask. The Bible says we have not because we don't ask for it. So ask for God to be with you, to help you when you need him.

This experience made me appreciate my health and that of my family. I have always been a healthy person, barely got sick, and maintained a healthy diet and everything. I didn't expect to get preeclampsia. When it was all over I asked my doctor why I got it. He said there are several theories of why women suddenly come down with preeclampsia, but they are only theories. One of them is that the body rejects the pregnancy, and the immune system doesn't like it. Another theory is that it's caused by gum disease. 

But I do know that it is very sudden and the extremity is real. I know from now on I will take extra steps to maintain good health, and even ask the Lord to keep me in good health. And to thank him for it every day.

Today Declan is over 8 pounds and is gaining weight so fast. We are so happy with him. I totally forgot about the pain and the sadness and all the confusion. I'm just so happy for him. He is full term today. Actually he's two days past his due date 7/17/13. We are soaking up every second of his baby life. And I get to live with him and love him every day. I'm just so thankful that God was there, that he came and helped us.