The Plans of a man's heart

I was scrolling through the blog just now and saw the verse at the bottom that I have had there forever, thinking I would change it pretty often. As I read it again it got me to thinking about B#11's birth. I spent a good portion of my pregnancy reading about natural childbirth and birth after a C-section. DH and I read about birthing without pain meds. But in the end things didn't go as I had planned. Am I disappointed??? I am not sure I can answer that. We both said all along that the most important thing was a healthy baby and healthy mama. We have both. Was my birth experience what I had hoped it would be? Nope. But there are little things that came up during the baby's C-section delivery that made me think that this way was the better way. The Lord is in control and many are the plan's of a man's heart but it is the counsel of the Lord that will stand.

Baby #11 Arrives

Just a very quick post from the hospital to let you know about the arrival of baby Aaron Thomas.

I went in for my usual twice weekly prenatal appointment and non-stress test and unfortunately my blood pressure was up too high for my OB's comfort. I was given a couple of choices and since DH and I had already discussed what we would choose if we were confronted with these options I knew what we were supposed to do. I was trying for a VBAC since B#10's birth was an emergency C-section but that wasn't what the Lord had in store for us this time. We chose to have a repeat C-section so that we could stay near our children and with our regular OB rather than have to drive about an hour away and be induced with Dr.s we had never met. The Lord gave me a peace about this decision and I feel like I handled the C-section pretty well for someone who can tend toward panicking. Everything went well and little Aaron was born safely, weighing in at 6lbs 13 oz. All of the siblings(except big brother #1) were able to come and see him shortly after his birth. We are just hanging out in the hospital for another day to recover more from the delivery then we will all be home together again. If you want to see some more great photos of baby go to B#4's blog HERE.

We Could Be a Magic Eraser Commercial

 Little Miss B#9 is somewhat of an artist in our family. Whether that is a tattoo artist or a graffiti artist we aren't real sure...early in the day yesterday she came down stairs with purple permanent marker all over her hands and arms. Then in the afternoon she found a dry erase marker and apparently wasn't sure where the dry erase board ended and the wall began so this was what we all walked into the dining room to see...

 

Praise the Lord for Magic Erasers from Walmart. Cleaning it up took as little time for me as it took her to make the mess and I didn't have to paint the wall. What do you think? Could we pass for a Magic Eraser commercial?

This Could Be You...Or Me! Welcome to Soviet Amerika

CPS Still in Charge After Hearing on Gestapo Style Baby Snatching

by SARAH, THE HEALTHY HOME ECONOMIST on MAY 1, 2013

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The right of parents to determine the course of medical treatment for their children has suffered yet another slap in the face.

On April 29, 2013, a hearing took place regarding theGestapo style abduction by Child Protective Services of 5 month old baby Sammy after his parents, Alex and Anna Nikolayev, took him out of Sutter Memorial Hospital in Sacramento.

They left Sutter Memorial in order to seek a second opinion at Kaiser Permanente, a rival hospital, for Sammy’s flu-like symptoms.

Anna and Alex sought medical treatment at Kaiser because they were extremely concerned about the quality of care baby Sammy was receiving at Sutter Memorial.

When doctors at Sutter Memorial began discussing the possibility of heart surgery for the infant, the alarmed parents took the baby and left as the medical staff would not discharge Sammy so they could seek another opinion regarding the child’s heart murmur.

“If we got the one mistake after another, I don’t want to have my baby have surgery in the hospital where I don’t feel safe,” Anna said.

She added, ”We went from one hospital to another. We just wanted to be safe, that he is in good hands.”

While at the second hospital, medical staff determined Sammy was fine. The attending doctor at Kaiser said in a written statement, “I do not have concern for the safety of the child at home with his parents.”

Despite the all clear from the medical staff at Kaiser, CPS escorted by armed police showed up at the Nikolayev’s home the next day and took baby Sammy in outrageous and dramatic fashion.

Anna’s home video of the incident shows police entering the home.

“I’m going to grab your baby, and don’t resist, and don’t fight me ok?” a Sacramento police officer is heard saying in the video.

Prior to abducting the baby without so much as a warrant, Alex was slammed against a wall, pushed to the ground and his house keys forcibly removed from him after meeting with officers outside.

Worst of all, after taking the baby, CPS returned the child to the protective custody of the exact same hospital the parents had originally fled to seek a second medical opinion – Sutter Memorial – for wanting to perform unnecessary open heart surgery on the infant.

Court Hearing a Slap in the Face to Parent Rights

At a hearing on the matter, Sacramento Superior Court Judge Paul Seave determined that custody should be immediately returned to the parents.

The Nikolayevs can now see Sammy whenever they want. They also supposedly now have full control over the child’s medical decisions.

In reality, however, the Nikolayevs are still under the thumb of CPS and their rights as parents continue to be violated.

Rather than the child returning home where the parents would continue under the care of medical staff at Kaiser Permanente which was their original choice, baby Sammy was transferred by court order to yet a third hospital – Stanford Medical Center.

The judge also ruled that Anna and Alex must follow all medical advice from now on, including not taking their child from Stanford Medical Center without proper discharge.

Why are Anna and Alex being forced to follow the medical advice of Stanford Medical Center and not the medical staff at Kaiser Permanente who determined the child was safe at home for the time being?

Why is this child still in the hospital and not at home and under the supervision of the medical staff the parents originally chose?

Most alarming, Child Protective Services is still involved with this case even after its Gestapo style abduction of the child as captured on home video.

While Sammy will be returned to the custody of his parents upon discharge from Stanford Medical Center, CPS will continue to monitor the situation with regular home visits by a social worker.

Why is CPS being permitted by the court to monitor this child when the parents did nothing wrong?

Inexplicably, Alex and Anna are still vulnerable to future action by CPS for the “crime” of seeking the medical care for Sammy that they saw fit.

Welcome to Soviet Amerika comrades.

 

Sarah, The Healthy Home Economis

A Good Example of Why We Need a Parental Rights Amendment

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April 30, 2013 Second Opinion? We're Taking Your Child One would think having the approval of a doctor and even clearance from the local police would be enough to protect a parent from having their baby taken away over cries of “medical neglect.” In this case, one would be wrong. Anna and Alex Nikolayev of Sacramento lost custody of their 5-month-old son last week when they decided to seek a second opinion before having the baby undergo heart surgery. Though a second doctor found it safe to release the boy into their custody, and though an investigating officer also cleared the family to go home, the child was taken the next day. Timeline of Events Little Sammy has had a heart murmur since birth, which the parents have been closely monitoring along with a doctor at Sutter Memorial Hospital. So when Sammy developed flu-like symptoms a couple of weeks ago, his parents took him to Sutter again as a precaution. During his stay, a couple of incidents occurred that concerned the parents (such as administrating an anti-biotic to fight his virus). So when Sammy was put in the pediatric intensive care and talk turned to heart surgery, the parents wanted a second opinion. Unable to secure release from the doctors at Sutter Memorial, the parents took Sammy from the hospital anyway – prompting an automatic call to Child Protective Services and the Sacramento Police – and drove straight to neighboring Kaiser-Permanente Hospital. Doctors there determined that Sammy was healthy enough to go home with his parents. The doctor noted in his report that he saw no cause for concern in leaving Sammy in Anna and Alex’s care. (Corrective heart surgery is in Sammy’s future; the parents do not dispute this fact.) Police met the family at Kaiser, checked out the smiling baby, read the doctor’s report, and agreed that Sammy was in no danger. The Nikolayev family was free to go. That was April 23, 2013. The following day, a CPS worker and Sacramento Police arrived at the family’s home and removed the baby, carrying him back to Sutter Memorial, where he was held in “protective custody.” Though the parents got to visit Sammy to feed him three times a day for one supervised hour, they had to wait until Monday for a hearing. By then, coverage had gone international, with media outlets in Germany and in the family’s native Russia paying close attention. Ominously, local ABC station KXTV reports, “CPS said they were overwhelmed with the amount of attention by the media into the case, and could therefore take longer than usual to render a decision on Sammy's fate.” (emphasis added) How Would the PRA Help? Traditionally, the Supreme Court has recognized the “fundamental liberty interest of natural parents in the care, custody, and management of their child,” found in the Fourteenth Amendment’s “Due Process” clause. Santosky v. Kramer, 455 U.S. 745 (1982) This protection, however, has been lost on Sacramento CPS. It is also being weakened through judicial erosion in the courts. Passage of the Parental Rights Amendment will provide parents an explicit constitutional protection; otherwise, they’ll have to rely on the courts, hoping they will continue to interpret the Fourteenth Amendment as they traditionally have (but increasingly no longer do). And the PRA will allow organizations like CPS to know exactly what the rules are that they must follow. “The liberty of parents to direct the upbringing, education, and care of their child is a fundamental right. Neither the United States nor any State shall infringe this right without demonstrating that its governmental interest as applied to the person is of the highest order and not otherwise served.” These two sentences would make clear that CPS cannot take a child away unless it is prepared to prove that the child was in danger caused by abuse or neglect. In this case, it would increase the chances that common sense would prevail and baby Sammy would have gotten to stay home safe and sound with his mom and dad. Action Items Yesterday the county and the family's lawyers reached an agreement to return Sammy to his parents' care, but with stipulations limiting their choices in medical treatment. (See video here.) CPS will continue to be a part of Sammy's life at least until the next hearing, set for May 28. While we rejoice in the reunification of this family, we grieve over the unnecessary loss of liberty this couple has suffered for no reason. We must make sure such abuses do not continue unchecked. Here is how you can help: 1. Share this email and the story of Sammy with everyone you know. Encourage them to support the Parental Rights Amendment and to sign on here. 2. Donate to support ParentalRights.org as we fight to protect the rights of parents like Anna and Alex. Help us make stories like Sammy’s a thing of the past. 3. Stay vigilant. Word is that the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities will be back in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee this month. Watch for alerts letting you know when and how to focus your energies on stopping that dangerous treaty. Click here for the current appeal to call your senators today. Sincerely, Michael Ramey Director of Communications & Research P.S. – Due to the timely nature of this breaking news story, the Common Core article scheduled for today will be sent on Thursday of this week.

What Have I Been Up to?

 

I have had it on my mind to blog alot sooner than this but the days just get away from me. Even more so lately than usual. Since being told I have Gestational Diabetes my days consist of trying to decide the right things to eat, reading up on the issue, trying to remember to check my blood sugar two hours after each meal and walking everyday. All of that on top of the average day of homeschooling and dealing with toddlers, oh yeah, and teenagers...

 

I borrowed this book from a friend, which I have been reading, reading, reading, just hoping to find some ideas of things to eat. I didn't exactly expect to like it but it is actually a good book. I especially like the first several chapters. I feel like the authors do a great job at explaining how eating too many carbohdrates affects our bodies. The whole book is about 600 pages with a major part of it being recipes. I don't know that I would make many of the recipes but seeing some ideas of what to eat was helpful.

 

 

 I did, however, find this yummy recipe for a 1 minute cake in a mug. I have made it entirely too many times... Made with the ingredients they suggest it has no carbs and could be classified as a healthy cake. I must admit that I add 1/8 cup of chocolate chips because it makes the cake richer and supposedly doesn't affect the carbohydrate count as it keeps it under a 5. I thought I would give you the recipe along with some substitutions I used when I made it tonight, which still kept me below the 15-30 carbs I am limited to on my snacks. Actually it was so rich tonight that I only ate half and gave the other half to B#4.

Whisk 1 egg in a coffee cup
Stir in 2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
3-4 tsps Stevia (I used 3tsp sugar tonight)
a splash of vanilla
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 Tablespoon water
1 Tablespoon coconut oil(I used 1 T real butter tonight)
and I personally add in 1/8 c. or less of chocolate chips
Stir all well and microwave for 1 minute.
I like to let mine cool for awhile on a plate before enjoying.

So besides life in general, I have also been trying to get a baby blanket knitted for baby before my due date. I think I am getting somewhere but I do still have a ways to go. This is one of my favorite baby blankets as I think it makes a nice weight to cover baby in the crib. I would prefer it to stay as a crib blanket but B#10 has claimed his as his favorite "blankie" that has to go everywhere with him. It is a bit heavy for that so for this baby I decided to try to make it a bit smaller. Not sure how well that will turn out since I am not an experienced knitter but we shall see.

 

Well that is life of late. Now I think I better put B#10 to bed and get back to the knitting!

Sorry!

I know I haven't posted since Easter...sorry. Life has been amazingly busy lately. Monday I had two appointments. One for another ultrasound of baby and one was just a regular OB appt. We got some pretty good pics of baby although my little point and shoot camera just doesn't do them justice as I attempt to take pictures of the pictures:). But you can clearly see baby in them so I will go ahead and show one. We decided we think it looks like a boy, but time will tell...He or she now weighs in at a whopping 1lb 15 oz.

Then at my OB appt. it was confirmed that I did indeed fail one portion of the Glucose Tolerance Test so I had to have an appt. with a Dietician on Wednesday. I now have to watch my carbs carefully and check my blood sugar 4 times a day.

But on the fun side of things, the weather here was very nice for a few days and we even broke out the shorts...at least the kids did. Some of the "biggers" went hiking on Tuesday near the coast but I don't have any pics of that. Maybe B#4 will post some on her blog for you all to see. The definitely got some great photos.

 

He's so cute in his shorts...they make him look pretty short!

 

                                    And we have had lots and lots of daffodils around here.