update on Ashton

First, I'd like to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers on Ashton's behalf. Ever since Ashton was born, Kirk and I have been amazed at all of the love and support we have received, and we have been so happy and thankful that Ashton is so loved. But let's face it, how can you not love that kid?? He's perfect.

As most of you know, Ashton was born with BOFS, a syndrome that mainly affects physical attributes and growth. He has had clogged tear ducts since birth, which is pretty common for a lot of kids, and so he went in yesterday to have the procedure done to fix it. With his syndrome, though, there was an added risk of him possibly not having a passageway from his tear ducts to his nasal cavity. That fear was not only confirmed yesterday, but it turns out that Ashton doesn't even have a nasal cavity--it hasn't formed yet. The stent they would have put in to open up his passageway would have had to connect to his nasal cavity, so they couldn't perform the procedure. For those of you who are visual learners and want to see what I'm talking about, click here for a picture of the anatomy of the nose. Also, I was trying to console an I-just-woke-up-from-being-under-anesthesia-so-I'm-very-cranky-and-confused baby while the doctor was explaining all of this to us, so forgive me if I got any of that medical science stuff wrong.

Getting ready for his go-to-sleep drink!

Sad that he had to go through that whole experience just to find out he couldn't have the procedure done, but at least we know what to expect now.

So what now? Ashton will have appointments every 3 months to have the doctor check to see how his nasal bridge and cavity are growing. Just like his ear canals, his nose will grow as he grows and so in a couple of years, they will hopefully be able to go in and do surgery. By the way, did I mention that his hearing is pretty much normal now?? Yep, his ear canals have opened up and he doesn't have to wear a hearing aid anymore! Yay! Let's hope this new setback turns out as great.

Again, thank you all for your concern and support. We love and appreciate all of you and know that it's because of your prayers and fasting that we have seen miracles happen with Ashton. We are so blessed to have him in our lives. 

me and my wheat grinder

I have always had a desire for my family to become more healthy and to be self-sufficient. I want to grow our own fruits and veggies, obtain/grind/prepare our own meats, build our food storage supply, and make my own bread and other flour items from my wheat storage. But as a young family with a husband going to school, it's hard! I always thought it would cost so much money and take so much time, and let's be honest...growing my own garden isn't happening at this point in my life. BUT what I didn't realize is that I can start doing small things right now that will get me going in the right direction.

So last week I bought a manual wheat grinder off of Amazon (oh how I love my Amazon Prime...I seriously get everything from there).

mmm...look at those yummy wheat berries

I can't afford the luxury of an automatic grinder, but I decided that a manual one is perfect for me right now, plus if the electricity ever goes out I can still use it! The other night I finally had enough time to experiment with it and I knew the first thing I wanted to make was cracked wheat. I grew up eating that cereal and I'm a little obsessed with it. And oh my goodness, it tasted delicious! And I couldn't believe how easy it was to make. The best part? Watching Ashton eat it for breakfast the next morning and knowing that he was eating something I made for him that was all natural, 100% good for him.

it only took about 5-10 minutes to grind this...easy!

the finished product....you HAVE to add in coconut milk and agave (my faves)!

Next up is homemade bread (I'm a homemade bread addict...it's serious). Yay for being a little healthier!